New life-changing treatments for babies will soon be introduced at Abu Dhabi’s main maternity hospital.
The new treatments will be offered to babies born with spina bifida and could mean the difference between walking and being a wheelchair user.
They will be available soon at Corniche Hospital, along with other treatments given to babies while in the mother’s womb.
“We're looking at introducing the foetal balloon for the congenital diaphragmatic hernia within the next year. And we're also planning spinal surgery for babies in the womb, who have spina bifida,” said Dr Leanne Bricker, consultant and chair of Corniche Hospital's Foetal Medicine and Imaging Department.
Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord do not form properly. The average worldwide incidence of spina bifida is one case per 1,000 births.
We need to make the point that all these procedures are extremely difficult, require a very experienced team and so we are very cautious
Dr Leanne Bricker,
Corniche Hospital
Typically, the neural tube forms early in pregnancy and it closes by the 28th day after conception. In babies with spina bifida, a portion of the neural tube doesn't close or develop properly, causing problems in the spinal cord and the bones of the spine.
While there is no cure for spina bifida, repairing the spine in the womb can minimise the spinal defect.
Prenatal surgery also lowers the need for a shunt, which is a small hollow tube that helps drain the fluid from the baby's brain and protect it from too much pressure.
For babies that have surgery after birth, 82 per cent will require a shunt to be placed in the brain.
Foetal surgery doubles the chance the child will be able to walk and not require a wheelchair from 21 to 42 per cent and reduces the need for a shunt from 98 to 68 per cent.
A foetal tracheal balloon (FETO) for moderate or severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) also increases survival rates.
A fetoscopic endotracheal occlusion (FETO) is a procedure to reversibly block the trachea of the foetus with a latex balloon.
This procedure is used for foetuses diagnosed with a severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia and impaired lung development.
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a defect in an unborn baby's diaphragm.
In severe left-sided CDH, FETO increases the chance of survival from 15 per cent to 40 per cent and in severe right-sided CDH, FETO increases the survival chance from 20 per cent to 42 per cent. In moderate CDH, FETO increases chances of survival from 50 per cent to 63 per cent.
Complex procedures
Corniche Hospital delivers up to 8,000 babies each year.
It has been offering advanced foetal therapy since 2014 and is one of very few facilities in the region performing complex procedures using advanced imaging techniques and innovative resources.
The unit now receives 3,000 babies per year, including referrals from the UAE and elsewhere, with scores of pregnant women flying in from neighbouring countries in the region for treatment.
Typically pregnant women had to travel abroad for many treatments. However, this will no longer be necessary.
“We need to make the point that all these procedures are extremely difficult, require a very experienced team and so we are very cautious,” Dr Bricker said.
“We want to introduce things in the right way, and we do it the right way to get the best outcome.
“We tend to introduce one procedure at a time, get it going and get the whole system around working safely, like getting the trains running on time, like a well-oiled machine. And then we introduce the next procedure.
“So in the next year, we're looking at introducing the balloon and then the spinal surgery.”
To date, the team has performed more than 300 foetal procedures with one of their most unusual ones being a baby whose blood supply was feeding into a large tumour in the placenta.
“I remember the placental tumour,” said Dr Werner Diehl, division chief of the Foetal Medicine Centre.
“There was a tumour in the placenta and it was supplied by a baby's blood so this forced the baby into heart failure.
“What we did is that we cut the blood flow to the tumour so that it stopped feeding the tumour and the baby could recover from heart failure.
“These interventions are very rare but require large expertise and experience in-utero surgery.”
The centre's most common procedure is separating vessels shared between twins or more.
“A lot of people think foetal medicine is just an ultrasound scan,” Dr Bricker said.
“It's not just an ultrasound scan. We use ultrasound scans as part of our consultation. What we're doing is we're taking the whole history and all the details into account, including the findings on the scan.
“Women come to see us if either they've had a previous baby that was born with a major problem, or if they're currently pregnant and on a routine scan the baby was found or suspected to have an abnormality.
“We see a lot of multiple pregnancies because multiple pregnancies can be very complicated and there are women who are on medication and with medical conditions who are at increased risk of having a baby with problems.”
Multiple pregnancies, older mothers and comorbidities, such as diabetes, blood pressure and obesity, all increase the number of cases the unit handles.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes. Portland is a 260 km drive from Seattle and Emirates offers codeshare flights to Portland with its partner Alaska Airlines.
The car
Hertz (www.hertz.ae) offers compact car rental from about $300 per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
Parks and accommodation
For information on Crater Lake National Park, visit www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm . Because of the altitude, large parts of the park are closed in winter due to snow. While the park’s summer season is May 22-October 31, typically, the full loop of the Rim Drive is only possible from late July until the end of October. Entry costs $25 per car for a day. For accommodation, see www.travelcraterlake.com. For information on Umpqua Hot Springs, see www.fs.usda.gov and https://soakoregon.com/umpqua-hot-springs/. For Bend, see https://www.visitbend.com/.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
