Recently, I went to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where I visited a relative who was admitted to Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi – a famous international hospital whose headquarters is in Ohio, United States of America.

The beauty of the hospital captivated my eyes as I entered through its main gate. The architectural design was unique in terms of how hospitals appear, as it is characterized by modern external decoration and huge parking area with a basement.  Its corridors are spacious, such that you will think you are walking into a mall. On the ground floor, you find international trademark cafés; while its decorations make the sick become optimistic–the main objective of establishing a hospital.

The idea of constructing exquisite medical centers did not happen by chance in Abu Dhabi. History narrates that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan was displeased with how diseases were taking their toll on inhabitants of Al-Ain City, prompting him to invite the best doctors to save the people in the area who were accustomed to using traditional medicine.

A Canadian doctor and his wife, Maryan, arrived in Al-Ain to construct the first medical center in that city. Among other objectives was to work on maternity services due to high rate of death during childbirth which was done in a primitive manner and depended on experience of the traditional midwife who, without doubt, lacked medical knowledge of the modern age.

Many hospitals were opened after that in the UAE until the health services developed to high levels in this current era, given that UAE’s leadership put the health of its people on top of its priorities. In a bid to achieve sustainable objectives, modern and advanced hospitals were built such as the Cleveland Clinic which is considered the crown of health services in the UAE.

This hospital was built to meet the health needs of the most deserving and it offers the best medical services, let alone the fact that it is one of the hospitals in the world which provides advanced services in treating ‘mitral valve prolapse’ (MVP).

This medical center is the only one which provides various transplant services in the UAE and it performed more than 55 transplant operations since it launched its transplant program.

Recently, the clinic in Abu Dhabi announced that it has embarked on a project to build a new tumor treatment center. This center is expected to revolutionize healthcare given to cancer patients in the region. It will also comprise of a center for studies and research, and its wards and rooms are designed in consideration of the psychological condition of the patient in terms of spacious rooms, elegant furniture and even the toilets are designed to ensure comfort of the patient.

When it comes to the choice of medical staff, at least, a quarter of the employees have experience working with Cleveland Clinic worldwide. Their recruitment is done under rigid conditions to ensure the hospital offers the best services.  Impromptu inspection is conducted to ensure the medical staff perform their duties efficiently based on high standards in the interest of the patients.

This article is not enough to describe the Cleveland Clinic, which is the pride of the UAE and the entire region in terms of the health services it offers to those in and outside the UAE. This is attributed to the leadership of the UAE for their keen interest in providing the best medical services to the people.

Back to my beloved land–Kuwait, several new hospitals were opened with the objective of improving health services in the country. I hope the officials will benefit from the experience of Cleveland Clinic in management in the sense that it will be beneficial to the people of this country and beyond considering the quality of health services which match the medical revolution of this modern era.

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 “The education of our people is a great wealth. We are proud of our educated nation because through knowledge and Science, we will open the horizons of a glorious future,” former Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan (1918-2004).

By Yousef Awadh Al-Azmi