This will keep families together - top US children's hospital partners with Abu Dhabi medical centre, in sha' Allah
Assalamu alaykum - Teams from one of the leading children’s hospitals in the US are already working alongside Emirati colleagues in Abu Dhabi to offer better care for families in the UAE, in sha' Allah.
Back in May, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) announced a collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to develop Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence for advanced paediatric medicine, research and training. The goal is to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s role as a trusted place for specialised care so children can be treated closer to home.
Visiting teams in cardiology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurosurgery and oncology have started on site, performing surgeries and holding joint consultations with local physicians. The partnership brings together SKMC’s local clinical experience with Cincinnati Children’s long history of paediatric care and innovation.
“We look for cultural alignment when choosing partners,” said Dr Daniel von Allmen, regional president of Cincinnati Children’s. “Here in the UAE we found that alignment quickly with SKMC. Their focus on patient-centred care reflects our approach.”
Dr Mohamed Alseiari, acting chief medical officer and consultant transplant nephrologist at SKMC, welcomed the collaboration as an important step forward. “Having trained in the US, I was excited to see a world leader in paediatrics working with us in Abu Dhabi,” he said. “Our aim is to be a regional referral centre and a benchmark for children’s care.”
Historically, Abu Dhabi’s early hospitals - like Abu Dhabi Central Hospital and Al Jazeera Hospital which later joined SKMC - are part of the city’s healthcare roots. Some old buildings are now heritage sites, reminding us of how far services have come while the focus remains on improving the future for patients.
The phased upgrade will add new paediatric units, advanced rehabilitation services and a child life programme - specialists who help reduce a child’s anxiety before procedures and support families during treatment. In the first phase, 11 consultant-level physicians across five core specialties will be recruited and supported by over 100 nurses and allied health staff.
“We are not replacing our doctors,” Dr Alseiari emphasised. “We are building on their strengths, closing gaps, and bringing best practices here so families don’t have to travel abroad for most specialised treatments.”
Cincinnati Children’s experts are also advising on long-term infrastructure and new protocols aligned with international standards. The agreement, signed as a five-year renewable partnership, will expand in planned two-year phases to include genetic medicine, rare-disease research and data-driven care using the UAE’s national biobanking and health informatics.
“This is a marathon, not a sprint,” Dr von Allmen said. “In five years, SKMC should be providing services not available elsewhere in the Gulf - and families will have world-class care close to home.”
He added that the hospital’s philosophy is to keep children near their families whenever possible: if care can be given locally, do so; if not, provide what’s needed abroad and return the child home quickly.
Beyond clinical goals, both institutions are focused on building trust through joint conferences, shared rounds and integrated protocols so teams can learn from each other. “We’ve been impressed by the calibre of Emirati doctors,” Dr von Allmen said. “Their skills are excellent; we’re adding system support and infrastructure to match them.”
“For SKMC, this partnership will keep families together,” Dr Alseiari said. “Previously, parents would travel abroad for months seeking treatment for their children. Now they can receive that same level of care here in Abu Dhabi, close to family and community - by the will of Allah.”
While total self-sufficiency everywhere may be unrealistic, the aim is to reach very high levels of local capability. Ultimately this cooperation reflects the UAE’s wider commitment to health, innovation and human development. “Children are the future,” Dr von Allmen noted. “Investing in children’s health today is investing in the well-being of coming generations.”
Jazakum Allah khair for reading.
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