In a bid to ensure the health and wellbeing of the patients, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) has announced new working hours for select services at a number of medical facilities including Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), and Tawam Hospital. Taking note of the SEHA's patient-centric approach to healthcare, this announcement will boost the capacity of the medical facilities to manage the healthcare needs of patients with reduction in waiting time and enhancing the overall patient experience.

With new operational hours, patients will now be able to seek medical consultation for in-demand specialities between 8:30 am and 08:30 pm, along with select clinics operating on Saturdays also. This will help in achieving maximum convenience among patients for booking appointments and seeking consultations. As per state news agency WAM, changes in working hours have already been made operational in Tawam Hospital, whereas at SSMC and SKMC, it will begin on Sunday, August 9.

Responding to the development, Rashed Saif Al Qubaisi, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer, SEHA, stated that SEHA has continued to work for the transformation and betterment of the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi region. Adding the SEHA has the responsibility of ensuring that the community has complete access to the healthcare facilities and services, Al Qubaisi went on to express happiness over the extended operating hours.

"With our facilities strategically placed to ensure the entire community has easy access to world-class healthcare, we are pleased to now extend our operating hours to guarantee convenience in appointment scheduling. We are confident that with this new change, we will be better positioned to meet every medical need amidst the population," he said.

Significantly, selected services have experienced a surge in demand as people have started to reprioritize their healthcare needs. This development has been facilitated by SEHA's implementation of new operating hours and safety measures in line with the precautionary guidelines issued by the leadership.

Services which have seen an extension in operation hours at SSMC, SKMC and Tawam hospital include Cardiology, Neurology (adult and pediatric), ENT, Neurosurgery, in addition to supplementary specialities per facility. It will help in ensuring the maximum availability of healthcare services for the community.

In addition, SEHA has also introduced additional safety precautions and procedures in its facilities including home care visits for vulnerable patients, home delivery for medicines, drive-through centers for select services, and telemedicine consultations. It will help in ensuring uninterrupted access to the network’s services for the patients amid the fight against Coronavirus pandemic.

WAM