NMC Health opens UAE's biggest private hospital

NMC Health officially opened the largest private health facility in the United Arab Emirates this week - NMC Royal.

The FTSE 250 healthcare firm said the hospital had been providing outpatient services since September 2015, and was now providing inpatient services.

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak al Nahayan, the Honourable Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, inaugurated the official opening ceremony, which was attended by more than 800 dignitaries, medical professionals and media.

The delegates toured the 807,300 square foot facility, which had a licensed capacity of 250 beds and the option to expand to 500 beds within the same premises.

"The opening of our new super speciality hospital, NMC Royal, not only brings long-awaited state-of-the-art medical services, healthcare facilities and emergency care to the residents of Abu Dhabi and the UAE at large, but its medical staff are trained in best global healthcare practices delivering quality healthcare," said NMC Health executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer Dr B.R. Shetty.

"Central to our hub-and-spoke healthcare platform, NMC Royal will be a regional referral point for best-in-class medical treatment to the growing population of the UAE and NMC's rapidly growing patient population," Shetty added.

The hospital would provide emergency and critical care, as well as a number of specialties including neurosciences, cardiac sciences, gastroenterology, hepatology, urology, oncology and maternal and child health.

A new nephrology unit would provide dialysis services and help pioneer the private sector's kidney transplant programmes in the country.

Shetty said the hospital's full opening signified an important step in the company's strategy.

"As the largest private healthcare provider in the country with a combined licensed capacity of 885 beds across our integrated healthcare network, we remain uniquely well positioned to leverage our significant clinical expertise, enhanced by recent acquisitions, to deliver sustainable long-term growth and ultimately, shareholder returns," he explained.

NMC Royal would service the residents of Khalifa City, Al Raha, Mohammed bin Zayed City, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi International Airport, Shahama and Yas Island suburbs, which were expected to house a fifth of the emirate's total population by 2030.