Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City to become specialist trauma centre

Upgrades including intensive care and burns units to be made over next two years

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City is to be developed into a specialist trauma centre, officials said on Wednesday.

The upgrades, including separate units dedicated to intensive care, trauma and burns, will be made over the next two years, a Military Health Conference heard.

The changes will be a collaborative effort between UAE health authorities and the Ministry of Defence.

“Our aim is to support SSMC to get accreditation to be the level one trauma centre in the region that is integrated with the health systems and our allies all over the world,” said Col Saeed Al Hefeiti, spokesman for the project.

“The centre will [serve] the military, our allies and civilians as well, and these kinds of trauma centres deal with thousands of injuries annually.”

Drawing expertise from abroad

The new facilities were discussed at a Military Health Conference held on Tuesday, which brought together various stakeholders from government and private sectors in the UAE, and commanding officers from countries such as the US and Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at the conference, Mohammed Al Bawardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, said the event had drawn “expertise from across the globe to discuss and exchange knowledge on some of the most important military healthcare issues of our time”.

“We live in uncertain times and the requirement to service the health needs of members of the Armed Forces and civilians in affected areas has never been greater,” he said.

“Thankfully, technological innovations are assisting in the effective provision of such services in order to save more lives, and the Emirates' Military Health Conference is the perfect platform to learn about such advancements and more.”

Speaking to The National, Lt Gen Raymond Dingle, Surgeon General and Commanding General at the US Army Medical Command, said the sharing of knowledge was critical in saving the lives of serving personnel.

“The conference is important because it brings together the different countries to share the best practices on how to save life, limb and eyesight, which is what we do in the military, in the Army, Navy, Air Force medical forces,” he said.

“The impact is obvious — you share the best practices when it comes to medicine. It benefits the life of those who get injured, whether in combat or in peacetime the medical professionals can save their life.”

New equipment

Also showcased at the conference was the UAE-made military Hafeet ambulance.

It is a 6x6 blast and ballistic-protected armoured vehicle that can provide first-class medical assistance to the wounded on the battlefield.

It can accommodate one medic, two stretcher patients and two sitting patients in the back, with access from a side door for the driver and commander.

The vehicle has a defibrillator, ventilator, a suction machine and other emergency medical devices.

Fitted with life-saving equipment, medics can stabilise patients before moving them to the closest hospital.