Mafraq Hospital opens emergency maternity ward

Expectant mothers now have their very own maternity emergency ward at Al Mafraq and Al Rahba hospitals in Abu Dhabi.

ABU DHABI // New emergency maternity wards in the capital will help to bring quick medical attention to expectant mothers.

Women who have passed the midpoint of their pregnancy – about 20 weeks – can visit the newly established Maternity Assessment Unit (MAU) at Al Mafraq Hospital to put their mind at ease or prepare for possible early delivery instead of going to see unspecialised doctors at emergency departments.

Dr Karim Elmasry, chairman of obstetrics and gynaecology at Al Mafraq Hospital, said the new unit, an extension of the hospital’s labour ward, was fully staffed with female specialists, nurses, and midwives, to look into all pregnancy related complaints including abdominal pain, cramping, spotting, or Braxton-Hicks contractions.

“Any woman with a complaint can come for an assessment,” Dr Elmasry said.

He said the only other option available for women today was to turn to hospital emergency rooms for help, which was “not the ideal place”.

“Emergency rooms have a large volume of patients,” he said. “It is also difficult to ensure the privacy of the patient there; the doctor could be a man.”

At the MAU, Dr Elmasry said women would be assessed and either sent home within a couple of hours if all was well, or admitted for observation or sent to the delivery or labour ward.

“It is basically a maternity ER,” he said. “Open around the clock.”

He said only women in the latter stages of pregnancy would be seen in the unit because they were more likely to have a viable baby. Those in early pregnancy with complications could suffer a miscarriage. He said it was important not to mix the two, negatively affecting expectant mothers.

The four-bed unit will also allow doctors to monitor foetal heartbeats using cardiotocography when needed outside of the clinic.

“For 30 minutes it would block the clinic, it was insufficient,” he said. “Now we can have them in this unit. Pregnancy is a phase that is both exciting and unsettling at the same time. Our multidisciplinary teams of doctors and nurses at Mafraq Hospital and Al Rahba Hospital ensure hands-on expert advice and support to women throughout their pregnancies, and help ease concerns and questions of mothers-to-be.”

The idea of such a unit came through a customer-satisfaction survey revealing women’s desires for around-the-clock treatment by specialists.

A mirror MAU is expected to open next week at Al Rahba Hospital.

Expectant mothers in the capital have welcomed the new unit.

Last year, Al Mafraq experienced a 10 per cent increase in the number of births and a 40 per cent rise in gynaecological procedures.

Al Rahba also had a 10 per cent increase in the number of births and an 8 per cent rise in the number of gynaecological procedures.

“We are keen on delivering high-quality services to our patients and meeting the growing demand in maternity care, particularly for women at early stages of their pregnancy,” Dr Elmasry said.

He added that they were expecting more than eight consultants and several midwives to join them by the end of this year to “help accommodate our growing services at these community hospitals”.

Several Emirati nurses from the hospital were also undergoing a structured midwifery training programme. A urogynaecology specialist was also recently appointed.