The prompt response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the UAE has been recognised to be one of the most effective in the world [1]. The vaccination programme is now being rolled out across the UAE.
Yet the pandemic is not over and the vigilance must be kept high to prevent avoidable deaths.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the number of attendances and admissions to hospital have dropped. This is due to public anxiety about acquiring COVID-19 infection in hospital (nosocomial infection). The occurrence of nosocomial Covid-19 infection has been described and represents a major challenge for hospitals across the world [2].
Ensuring that patients can safely attend and be treated in hospital, without fear of being infected by Covid-19, is paramount in the management of many conditions not directly related to the virus , for example, acute cardiac diseases, cancers, strokes, pregnancy complications etc.
Evidence [3,4] shows that the incidence of nosocomial infection of Covid-19 is dramatically reduced in institutions where a robust infection control programme is in place. Such units have dedicated airborne infection isolation rooms (negative pressure), personal protective equipment, visitor number restrictions and testing (swab for Covid-19 PCR) of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
The Dubai Healthcare City Authority has certified Mediclinic City Hospital as a Covid-19 free facility to allow continuity of care for patients with non-COVID conditions.
At Mediclinic City Hospital a dedicated Early Admission Unit (EAU) has been opened as part of the commitment to maintain the hospital’s safety for all its patients.
The EAU is an assessment unit for patients who have been admitted to Mediclinic City Hospital with acute medical or surgical conditions needing treatment, investigation and specialist opinions.
The Unit functions as a clinical hub where all treatment, investigations and multi-disciplinary specialist input will begin. This will ensure that the correct management plan is initiated without any delay.
All new patients that are admitted to the EAU can start receiving their treatment whilst awaiting the results of their Covid-19 test. This ensures that any of the few positive cases can be promptly treated and isolated, protecting all the patients at Mediclinic City Hospital. These positive cases are either discharged home or transferred to a facility which accepts and treats Covid-19 patients. The patients with a negative Covid-19 PCR test leave EAU, to be treated in other speciality wards at the hospital.
- https://gulfnews.com/uae/health/uae-health-ministry-earns-global-recognition-for-strategic-response-to-covid-19-1.75964812
- Rickman, H.M., Rampling, T., Shaw, K., Martinez-Garcia, G., Hail, L., Coen, P., Shahmanesh, M., Shin, G.Y., Nastouli, E. and Houlihan, C.F., 2020. Nosocomial transmission of COVID-19: a retrospective study of 66 hospital-acquired cases in a London teaching hospital. Clinical Infectious Diseases.
- Rhee, C., Baker, M., Vaidya, V., Tucker, R., Resnick, A., Morris, C.A., Klompas, M. and CDC Prevention Epicenters Program, 2020. Incidence of nosocomial COVID-19 in patients hospitalized at a large US academic medical center. JAMA network open, 3(9), pp.e2020498-e2020498.
- Lu, D., Wang, H., Yu, R., Yang, H. and Zhao, Y., 2020. Integrated infection control strategy to minimize nosocomial infection of coronavirus disease 2019 among ENT healthcare workers. The Journal of hospital infection, 104(4), p.454.