A new fleet of ambulances in Abu Dhabi could signal a transformation of health care for the emirate's patients.
The emirate has introduced 18 smart ambulances, which authorities in Abu Dhabi believe will play a crucial role in saving lives.
A control room at the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi will be able to direct ambulances to the nearest hospital best-equipped to deal with each emergency, rather than simply hoping medics can help wherever the patient is taken.
Live data is transmitted between the ambulances and the control room, with key information such as vital signs. The medical team can learn what is happening to patients while they are still on the road and prepare for their arrival.
“Before, the ambulance would just take the patient and go to a hospital,” said Dr Salama Al Tamimi, executive director of emergency preparedness and response at the Department of Health. “They don’t know if the hospital is ready, or if they have the speciality or not.”
Previously, she said an ambulance could arrive to find the required specialist was unavailable, the hospital did not offer the service needed, or its emergency department was full.
“That doesn’t happen any more,” Dr Al Tamimi said. “The ambulance will go exactly to where it should go. The hospital will be pre-notified [and] teams will be ready to receive them.”
The control centre was established in December 2024, with the aim of bringing various parts of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare system together in one room.
Representatives from the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi Civil Defence, health care groups and ambulance providers work from the centre, each with access to information relevant to their role.
Large screens provide a live picture of ambulance movements across the emirate, while officials can monitor hospital services and other pressures across the system.
The centre’s oversight includes transfers between hospitals, blood supplies, poisoning and infectious disease cases, organ donation, hospital activity and weather alerts.
Dr Al Tamimi said the system can even identify when a piece of hospital equipment needed for a patient’s care is temporarily unavailable.
She gave the example of a hospital that would normally have been able to receive a particular patient but whose CAT scanner was out of service that day.
Rather than taking the patient there and discovering the problem, controllers can divert the ambulance to another hospital capable of providing the required care. “This is the beauty of having real-time visibility on the healthcare system,” she said.
The centre also has visibility of different ambulance providers operating across Abu Dhabi, allowing controllers to draw on available resources when necessary.
Critical care on the move
The 18 new ambulances are designed for groups of patients whose needs can be particularly difficult to manage in conventional emergency vehicles. The critical-care vehicles provide additional space and equipment for seriously ill adults and children, including major trauma cases.
They can also transport patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or Ecmo – an advanced form of life support used for critically ill patients whose heart or lungs require significant support.
The Ecmo machine is not permanently installed in the ambulance. Instead, the specialised vehicle is large enough and equipped to transfer a patient who is already connected to an Ecmo system from a hospital.
Dr Al Tamimi said a patient who requires a higher level of care could, for example, be transferred between hospitals while remaining connected to the machine. “We can transfer patients with Ecmo machines on them,” she said.
The critical-care ambulances can also be used for paediatric intensive-care patients and people who have suffered major trauma. Portable ultrasound is among the technology being discussed for use in the vehicles.
Care for mothers and newborns
A second category of ambulances has been designed for pregnant women and newborns.
Officials said births outside hospitals or en route present particular challenges because both mother and baby may require immediate specialist care.
The vehicles are equipped to support maternity and neonatal emergencies, including newborns who may require resuscitation shortly after birth. They also carry neonatal equipment, such as a small incubator.
Crews will receive specialist training in managing pregnant women, deliveries and newborn emergencies.
The vehicles can also support specialist transfers between hospitals, including patients being moved between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, or those who require care elsewhere in the emirate.
Patients with severe obesity
Another feature of the new category of ambulances tackles a very different challenge faced by emergency crews: safely transporting people with severe obesity.
Dr Al Tamimi said conventional ambulances have limitations when dealing with patients of exceptional weight or size.
She cited examples of people weighing up to 300kg, who may be unable to leave their homes without substantial assistance.
In some cases, several organisations and specialist equipment are needed before the patient can be transported.
The issue is not merely weight but the space available in a conventional ambulance and the capacity of the equipment used to transport the patient.
The new bariatric vehicles provide more appropriate space and specialist equipment, while crews will be trained to manage such cases.
While Abu Dhabi continues to encourage healthy lifestyles and tackle obesity, Dr Al Tamimi said emergency services must be able to provide appropriate care to people, regardless of their weight.
A patient with obesity “deserves exactly the same” care as other patients, she said.
‘Seconds can make the difference’
Maj Gen Salem Abdullah bin Barak Al Dhaheri, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority, said the move represents more than the addition of new ambulances.
It reflects a shift in the way emergency response is viewed – from simply measuring how quickly a vehicle reaches a patient to how rapidly the right specialist care can begin.
“The launch of the new generation of specialised smart ambulances marks a significant advancement in Abu Dhabi’s emergency response system and reflects the strong institutional collaboration with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi,” he said.
“This integration strengthens response times and the efficiency of emergency care, while advancing the level of specialised care and the quality of services provided to patients.”
Dr Al Tamimi highlighted patients suffering from a Stemi – a severe form of heart attack caused by a blocked coronary artery.
One important measure for these patients is known as “door-to-balloon time”: the period between the patient arriving at hospital and the doctors opening the blocked artery during an angioplasty procedure.
She said the figure previously stood at about 97 minutes, compared with an international benchmark of 90 minutes. It has now fallen to about 49 minutes.
She said the reduction had been accompanied by improved survival, while also having a positive financial impact on the healthcare system.
The significance of the control centre, however, extends beyond what happens before a patient reaches hospital.
Officials can follow patients through different stages of their healthcare journey, including transfers between hospitals and, where required, services after discharge.
Dr Salama said home-care dashboards also identify vulnerable residents, including people of determination and those dependent on life-support equipment at home.
Their locations can be known so that assistance, including medical teams and essential supplies, can be directed to them during severe weather or other emergencies.
The aim is to create a system in which an emergency call, ambulance journey and hospital treatment are no longer viewed as separate stages.
Instead, information can follow the patient and the various organisations responsible for their care can make decisions together.
