Sheikh Khalifa Medical City inaugurates a clinic to treat children suffering from Uveitis

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 03 May 2023: Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the biggest healthcare network and a subsidiary of the PureHealth Group – the UAE’s largest integrated healthcare platform, launches a clinic to dedicate its services to the care of pediatric patients suffering from an inflammatory eye disease called Uveitis. Opening at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), the clinic will provide a multi-disciplinary approach to provide world-class care for Uveitis patients- a condition associated with a number of rheumatology-related conditions, ultimately improving the quality of care and outcomes of its patients. 

Experts from SKMC specializing in rheumatology and ophthalmology will work jointly to provide a holistic approach toward the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients. Benefits of coordinated care include allowing treatment plans to be determined and adjusted quickly, providing accurate information to the patient and family without unnecessary delay, lessening the number of trips to the hospital, and an increased potential for improved outcomes for vision and rheumatologic problems. Uveitis is a critical and potential manifestation of pediatric rheumatological conditions, which involves inflammation of the eye. Uveitis can be seen when the body’s immune system is fighting an eye infection — but it can also happen when the immune system attacks healthy tissue as an auto-immune condition. Prevention and early diagnoses can help ensure the patient is treated quickly, avoiding the serious potential of blindness if the condition is left unrecognized or untreated.

 Commenting on the new clinic, Saeed Jaber Al Kuwaiti, Group Chief Executive Officer at SEHA, said: “We are pleased to launch the new clinic at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, dedicated to serving pediatric rheumatology. The clinic will help improve the average health span and promote a healthier lifestyle in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Under the wise and visionary leadership of the country, SEHA aims to raise the benchmarks in healthcare excellence to world-class levels to drive efficiencies across the entire value chain.” Sheikha Dr. Noura Khalid Al Qassimi, Consultant Ophthalmologist at SKMC, said: “The option to provide combined care is very important, as reducing the time between diagnosis and treatment can significantly improve the child’s outcome. We want to avoid the risk of developing poor vision and blindness at all costs. working together with our rheumatology department, we can together in the same setting agree on the diagnosis and management after explaining the whole situation to the parents and family and start the personalized treatment plan in order to save the child’s sight.” Linked with international organizations, the clinic will also play a role in collecting data unique to this region, in efforts to provide personalized treatments and to also enhance the data available regionally for future consideration and planning. The service will also provide further opportunities for research and academia. 

Dr. Kamran Mahmood, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist at SKMC, said: “This style of treatment has been seen all over the world, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally being brought to the UAE. We’re now able to provide patients with specialist care for their inflammatory eye diseases, and the treatment strategies can then be discussed and initiated promptly. In these instances, time is of the essence, and now we’re positioned to deliver the best care possible.” As of the launch, the clinic has already received a number of patients under its care, where the one-stop service provides everything, ensuring patients are seen with urgency, diagnosed quickly, and enabled to start treatment as soon as possible.

 The initiative is at the core efforts of PureHealth to provide a comprehensive class-A healthcare ecosystem that ensure people live longer and healthier and fuller lives. The largest healthcare platform is committed to advance the average health span and promoting a healthier lifestyle in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in line with its science of Longevity. To achieve this, PureHealth is working with SEHA and other group companies on leveraging technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to embed optimal health solutions, achieve excellence in patient health and further strengthen the UAE’s position as the global hub for healthcare. PureHealth operates 200+ hospitals, 100+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centres, insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments, and related businesses in the UAE, and is committed to delivering outcome-focused, world-class quality across all channels of healthcare with a mandate to futureproofing the healthcare system locally and beyond.