Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi marks a decade of impact in healthcare transformation
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of M42 group, is celebrating its 10th anniversary of healthcare innovation and complex care, marking significant milestones with over 6.8 million patient visits and the delivery of 175,000 surgical procedures.
Recognised as the leading research hospital in the UAE, it has also been instrumental in pioneering new methods of research in transplant, cardiovascular care, oncology, ophthalmology, and neurology.
It is the first multi-organ transplant centre in the UAE with over 800 transplants, and it is a pioneer in robotic surgeries with more than 1,100 surgeries.
Its Fatima bint Mubarak Center for cancer care has introduced precision oncology and is at the forefront of neurosurgical care, performing deep brain stimulation among more than 6,400 surgeries.
In its efforts to further precision medicine and clinical research, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is harnessing AI and robotics, conducting 229 active studies.
Committed to educating the next generation of healthcare professionals, the hospital has trained 90,000 professionals through the Continuing Medical Education (CME) programme and clinical placements.
While continuing to contribute to Abu Dhabi's health vision and solidifying the UAE's position as an organised leader of educational excellence, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is also pioneering medical advancements and world-class care in the region.
Dr. Georges-Pascal Haber, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, shared insights about the clinic's achievements and future vision in an interview with Aletihad.
"In just 10 years, we have not only achieved our mission of bringing world-class care closer to home for the patients of Abu Dhabi, the UAE, and helping elevate healthcare standards in the entire region, but we have also attracted patients from abroad," he said.
In terms of medical tourism, it was noted that between 2023 and 2024, there was a 35% increase in the number of patients travelling to Abu Dhabi for their care.
For Dr. Haber, the role of technology, AI, and robotics in transforming healthcare is tremendous; he describes AI as transferring medicine from, "an art and science into an engineering problem", revolutionising patient care, surgery, and precision medicine.
Dr. Haber stressed the importance of collaboration in the success of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, saying: "This is what turned Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi from a dream into reality".
Highlighting advancements in the transplant field, Dr. Haber pointed to the spectacular growth of the clinic's transplant programme: "What took almost a century in any other academic medical centre to develop was achieved within just seven years here."
Significant progress is made in the area of cancer treatment by the Fatima bint Mubarak Center, where the most advanced treatment approaches and new drug therapies and trials are offered.
Dr. Haber also commended the centre's efforts in genomic research, noting that they are sequencing almost a million patient genomes to expedite medicine discovery.
"In the next 10 years, we aim to be a leading, innovative academic medical centre focused on complex care and pioneering new healthcare techniques, including robotic surgery, AI, and precision medicine, while continuing to provide quality care and meet patient needs," he added.
Speaking to Aletihad, Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), highlighted Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi's contributions to the development of the DoH vision for the emirate as a premier healthcare destination.
"The health of our population remains our top priority. By creating the most intelligent and efficient health system, we aim to deliver personalised and preventive solutions at scale, enabling our population to live healthier, longer and more fulfilling lives. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, along with other strategic partners, plays a vital role in the research and innovation required to develop and implement these solutions locally and globally."
Also speaking to Aletihad, Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, said: "Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi was a bold vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. If you go back to the time when the negotiations started, people would have probably thought it impossible to build something like what has been built in Abu Dhabi. That dream has become a reality, much quicker than was anticipated. This is, of course, because of God's blessing, because of the bold vision of our leadership and the full support of people here on the ground."
"I am proud and honoured to have been part of this journey, and being able to say that we have touched every patient's life who has come into this building," Al Nowais added.
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