Hospital plans new clinics

DUBAI // The American Hospital Dubai is planning satellite primary healthcare clinics to serve people who have difficulty getting to its main campus. The first is planned for the Jumeirah area. Doctors at the clinic will treat patients with most common health problems and also provide paediatric and gynaecological care. The hospital is also looking into whether rehabilitation services and dialysis machines are feasible at the clinic.

Richard Larison, the hospital's new chief executive, said: "There are unmet healthcare needs in Dubai. Convenience is a driving factor for this part of health care. We have to move from being centrally focused to having access points placed conveniently around the emirate." He said the hospital was finalising plans for the clinic and that it was expected to open in about 18 months. If it succeeds, the hospital intends to expand the programme.

"In our minds we have the idea of maybe five, conveniently located in strategic areas, so that there are good access points," he said. The centre is one of the first of Mr Larison's projects. He took up his post in July and will oversee plans to expand the hospital from 140 beds to almost 200. "Up to this point we have been a secondary-care hospital with a couple of tertiary-care areas," he said. "We are now making a decision to move ourselves to be a tertiary-care hospital with secondary and primary care facilities attached to it."