Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) has unveiled its expanded paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in Abu Dhabi.

 

The 22-bed PICU will also have five additional beds added later this year, said a statement from SKMC, which is managed by Cleveland Clinic, is part of the Seha Health System, and owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha).

 

Dr Aref Al Shehhi, deputy executive officer, SKMC, said: “Our mission is to provide exemplary care for critically ill paediatric patients in the country, and we now have the largest PICU in the UAE, continuing to place Abu Dhabi at the forefront of treatment and care for our most vulnerable residents - our children.”

 

The PICU was originally set up as a six-bed unit in 2002 within the adult ICU and, at the time, was the first PICU in Abu Dhabi. 

 

The dedicated paediatric unit now sees close to 700 critical paediatric patients annually, which continues to increase year-on-year. Since 2007, the Paediatric Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care team has looked after more than 2,000 children following heart surgery.

 

Dr Hubert Hon, paediatric intensivist and chair of Critical Care Institute at SKMC, said: “A child’s injury or illness can be overwhelming and stressful for families, and knowing that there is access to this kind of critical care environment in Abu Dhabi will surely help ease concerns. Once we finalise staffing and construction work on an additional five beds, we will be able to officially open all 27 beds.”

 

The SKMC PICU has some of the most advanced technologies available to support patients in need, including the country’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) facility, which is an advanced form of life support used to treat infants and children in cardiac and/or respiratory failure. - TradeArabia News Service