DHA Director-General inspects construction work of Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital.

60  per cent of the construction work of this iconic project is completed.

DG revealed that the hospital will be a  ‘smart hospital' that will be integrated with a plethora of  IT and design services to enhance the hospital experience of  children and their families.

United Arab Emirates, Dubai, August 28,2013 : His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority ( DHA) recently inspected the on-going work of the Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital.

Sixty per cent of the construction work is complete and the hospital is being designed to function as a ‘smart hospital'- this means that the hospital will integrate a plethora of interesting IT and design features to create a positive and entertaining environment for young patients and their families.

The project is the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, as a gift to the children of the UAE and the region.

Al Maidoor said: 'The completion of this project will further raise the quality of health services in the emirate and position Dubai as a leader in healthcare at a regional level. Upon completion, the hospital will be the first-of-its-kind facility in the region offering super-specialty and multi-spectrum paediatric care. The hospital will provide paediatric services for new-borns to 16 year olds, and will have several centres of excellence dedicated to oncology, cardiology, mental health, neurology among other specialities. It will provide all necessary paediatric services under one roof for the children of the UAE and the region.'

He said that the integration of the smart hospital concept using digital space convergence will stimulate the imagination of young patients. He said: “The smart hospital concept will be implemented for three main stakeholders- patients, families and medical professionals. We will integrate several IT features which will enhance the way in which healthcare is managed and delivered. Children will find the environment stimulating and we will use design and IT services to create an atmosphere that eliminates any negative associations that children may have about hospitals.”

For example, some of the features of the smart hospital include sensor sensitive walls to control lighting and temperature.

Al Maidoor said that the hospital will establish new standards of paediatrics in the United Arab Emirates and the region in general.
 
He said that the project, which is located in the premises of Latifa Hospital, is a sprawling 100,000 sq m, 200-bed hospital which will contribute to enhancing the emirate's position as an ideal medical tourism destination.  The hospital is set on Latifa Hospital campus and will provide the entire range of children's healthcare services including oncology care, nephrology, cardiac care, neonatal care, among others. It will be connected to Latifa Hospital and will accept referrals from hospitals including Latifa hospital, especially for NICU and other complicated cases.

Al Maidoor said that hospital will have 40 incentive care units, six dialysis facilities, 20 healing centres, 12 training rooms, eight operating theatres, 30 clinical and non-clinical departments, 40 outpatient clinics, and 40 bed emergency department, over 3,750 biomedical equipment and fixtures, and a multipurpose activities room for children, among others.

He said that the hospital includes many specialties including, oncology, nephrology cardiology, trauma and emergency, mental health among others. He also highlighted that the close proximity of the Dubai Cord Blood and Research Centre to the hospital will benefit those children who need cord blood stem cells which is used for treatment of certain some types of cancer and diseases of the blood cell.

He highlighted that the construction of this prestigious and ambitious project, is in line with the vision of the leadership of Dubai to provide state-of-the-art healthcare for all sections of the society and to provide specialised healthcare within the emirate itself.

The hospital is designed keeping in mind several innovative concepts whereby the design and construction aspects are integrated with the healing process. Of the total area, nearly half has been dedicated for gardens and landscaping including a 'healing garden' with bright flowering shrubs and herbs and medicinal plants.

The use of natural light, greenery and healing landscape are aimed at offering a high level of indoor air quality, reducing noise and creating a pleasant environment. The development will be highlighted by several energy saving initiatives including sustainable construction techniques to reduce energy use, an active wall façade system to reduce ambient temperature inside the hospital, and rooftop gardens that provide greater insulation. As part of its focus on sustainability, the hospital will use recycled water for irrigation purposes.

The eco-friendly design and development model of the hospital has already won international honours, including the Future Projects - Health Award at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, 2009; and Hospital Build Award 2011 for Best Sustainable Hospital Project.

During his inspectional tour today, Al Maidoor emphasised to all concerned stakeholders of the project that they need to adhere to the highest international standards of quality and safety. He also discussed various technical aspects of the project including materials being used, construction timeline as well as sustainability initiatives.