Dh161m revamp of country’s busiest emergency unit begins

The expansion is the first phase of the Dh3 billion revamp of Rashid Hospital and will include six new specialised health centres, a four-star and a five-star hotel, villas and flats and a mosque.

Rashid Hospital’s Trauma Centre, where about 166,000 patients were treated last year, is to be expanded to accommodate 160 more beds. Pawan Singh / The National

A Dh161 million expansion of the UAE's busiest accident and emergency department is under way.
Rashid Hospital's Trauma Centre, where about 166,000 patients were treated last year, is to be expanded to accommodate 160 more beds.
Essa Al Maidoor, director general of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said construction has started at the centre, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is dedicated to treating emergency patients in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
"After detailed consultation with specialists from the trauma centre and the DHA engineering department, we finalised the design of the expansion, keeping in mind all the requirements needed for a hospital with a high volume of patients," he said.
"The project will be completed in one year."
He said the trauma centre will continue to function as usual while the work takes place.
The expansion is the first phase of the Dh3 billion revamp of Rashid Hospital, announced earlier this year.
It will include six new specialised health centres, a four-star and five-star hotel, villas and flats and a mosque.
The new 100,000 square metre site, to be built using green building standards, will have three towers inspired by the three-finger salute of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. In the salute, the fingers represent victory, triumph and love.
Each seven-storey tower will have 300 beds – bringing the total capacity to 900 beds.
The existing hospital will eventually be demolished.
It is part of a 12-year masterplan to boost health care in Dubai and turn the emirate into a centre for medical tourism.
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