King’s College Hospital has opened its doors to in-patient services at the new 100 bed-hospital in Dubai Hills.
The facility was initially expected to commence full operations on January 1, however plans for emergency services were delayed until later this month.
Announced in January 2016 at the Arab Health Exhibition in Dubai, the facility is the London-based teaching hospital’s first full-fledged branch outside the UK.
Located in Mohammed bin Rashid City, the hospital is also providing out-patient services but plans to commence all its operations in the coming days, said CEO Christian Schumacher.
“The hospital follows on from the two facilities we have in Dubai and the one in Abu Dhabi. But this will provide a comprehensive suite of healthcare facilities including emergency and maternity care. It’s a full-fledged community hospital that will begin full operations soon in January,” he said.
King’s College Hospital’s ties to the UAE stretch nearly 40 years. In 1979, a donation from the UAE’s founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, helped found its liver research centre. The centre has gone on to become among the foremost liver specialist treatment institutions in the world.
The hospital in Dubai Hills is not accepting students currently, however plans to offer research-based training are on the cards with its planned expansion, according to Schumacher.
“In 2020 we will begin phase 2 of our expansion,” he said, which will include doubling the size of the existing facility, as well as opening two additional medical centres.
King’s College currently also runs medical clinics in Jumeirah and the Marina in Dubai, and a day-based medical care surgery clinic in Abu Dhabi.
The institution’s entry in the UAE is part of a partnership between UK-based Ashmore Group, Al Tayer Group, and KCH London.