Latifa Hospital for Women and Children will begin expansion of its facilities this year, said a top health official.

The facilities that will undergo expansion include the labour and delivery suite and the emergency department.

Latifa Hospital for Women and Children is the oldest and largest dedicated maternity and paediatric hospital in the Emirate.

Dr Muna Tahlak, CEO of Latifa Hospital, said: “The expansion of the labour suite is to increase capacity and further create a patient-centric and family-centric environment in line with international modern practises. The design is such that it will enhance accessibility, safety and delivery of service. The expansion will not only increase capacity but also it will improve patient flow procedures, minimize patient transfers from one location to another and enhance overall care. Two more operation theatre (OT) rooms will be added making the number of OTs to six. Presently, approximately 5000 to 6000 deliveries take place per year at the hospital; post the expansion we will be able to handle close to 1000 deliveries per year.

“The hospital is a recognised Baby Friendly Hospital and we follow kangaroo-care practices even for NICU babies to ensure speedy recovery of premature babies and early bonding between parents and the baby.

Dr Tahlak added that the paediatric and maternity emergency departments function round-the-clock on all days and both will undergo expansion to expand capacity.

The hospital is also a pioneer in minimally invasive gynecology surgeries and today almost 80 per cent of all gynecological surgeries are minimally invasive and the hospital aims to further develop their expertise in this field. In 2015, the hospital received a recognition from the American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopy (AAGL) as a center of excellence in Gynecological Minimally Invasive Surgery (COEMIG). This year, the hospital will continue to provide training courses to doctors in COEMIG surgeries.