Emergency Medicine

Our emergency medicine teams are available around the clock, day and night, providing expert care when illness or injury cannot wait. The emergency department provides a wide range of services for all types of medical emergencies, ranging from a suspected heart attack to a serious fall. Paediatric emergency care is also a part of the comprehensive emergency services we provide.

What is emergency medicine?

Emergency medicine provides immediate assessment and treatment for sudden illness and injury, 24 hours a day. The emergency team will quickly assess your condition, provide the treatment you need and determine whether you should stay in hospital or can safely go home. We care for serious conditions such as chest pain, severe infections and major injuries. For minor illnesses, a GP or clinic may be more appropriate.

Areas within emergency medicine

Paediatric emergency care: Specialised emergency care for babies, children and teenagers, recognising that their symptoms, warning signs, and treatment needs can differ from those of adults.

When should you go to the emergency department?

Go to the emergency department, or call for emergency help, if you notice:

• Sigs of a heart attack or severe chest pain or discomfort (pressure, squeezing, tightness, heaviness, or burning) that spreads to your arm, shoulder, neck, or jaw
• Sudden difficulty breathing or severe shortness of breath
• Signs of a stroke, such as face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech
• Heavy or uncontrolled bleeding, whether caused by an injury or occurring spontaneously
• Sudden or severe abdominal pain
• A serious injury or trauma, including a significant fall, suspected broken bone, severe sprain or strain, serious burn, or injury following a road traffic accident
• Severe headache, nausea and/or vomiting
• Severe back pain

If you or someone else has signs of a life-threatening emergency, such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding or signs of a stroke, call for emergency help immediately. In the UAE, you can call 998 for an ambulance.

You do not need a referral or an appointment to receive emergency care. If you have a medical emergency, come directly to the emergency department, or call an ambulance if you cannot travel safely.

For minor illnesses or ongoing health concerns, your GP or primary care clinic is usually the best place to start. They can provide appropriate treatment and arrange a referral to a specialist if needed.

What to expect

When you arrive, a nurse will assess how urgent your condition is and check your vital signs, such as your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. This is called triage and ensures that patients with the most serious or urgent conditions are seen first, rather than in order of arrival. Waiting times can vary depending on how busy the department is and the urgency of each patient’s condition.

A member of the emergency medicine team will then assess you and, if needed, arrange tests such as blood tests or X-rays. Treatment will depend on your condition and may include wound care or stitches, a cast for a broken bone, fluids or medication through a drip, or oxygen to support your breathing.

Once your condition is stable, the team will explain whether you can safely go home or need to be admitted to hospital and discuss the next steps in your care.

Emergency medicine at Mediclinic

Our emergency and urgent care departments are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain. Our teams use the Emergency Severity Index (ESI), a triage scoring system to assess how urgent each patient’s needs are, ensuring those with the most serious conditions are seen first.

Our departments are equipped to provide trauma care and emergency resuscitation, with dedicated paediatric emergency care for children. 24/7 on-site laboratory and imaging services allow for prompt tests and scans when needed. If hospital admission or specialist care is required, we can arrange transfer to the appropriate ward or specialist team.