Dubai’s World Trade becomes Mideast’s largest hospital

DUBAI - Dubai’s World Trade Centre has been converted into the Middle East’s largest hospital, with the capacity to provide 3,000 beds for COVID-19 patients, the centre’s director of engineering Ali Abdulqadar said.

The field hospital facility in the city’s famous skyscraper is set to begin operating partially on Thursday as part of ongoing initiatives in the United Arab Emirates to handle a potential spike in coronavirus infections.

At full capacity, the building will put hundreds of doctors and nurses to work, with the number of available beds being rolled out in phases depending on demand, beginning at 1,000 and rising up to a maximum of 3,030 if required.

Humaid Al Qatami, director general of the Dubai Health Authority, said the Emirate had plans in place for “all scenarios” and the authorities were “prepared to help 5,000, 10,000 or, God forbid, more than that.”

Flattening the curve

As of Wednesday, the Gulf nation has reported 4,933 cases of the COVID-19 respiratory disease, with infections rising at between 300 to 400 per day.

Health officials believe they can ‘flatten the curve’ by preventing the peak number of infections from overwhelming the health system within three to four weeks.

Dr Nicholas Wyon, a critical care specialist at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, said he expected more field hospitals to spring up across the country.

"How valuable these kind of field hospitals will become will depend on the kind of surge in new cases that we experience," he told The National.

"If we do go through a spike in cases, which is highly likely given what has happened in other countries that are ahead of us in the pandemic, then they are going to be absolutely vital if we are to deliver high quality healthcare.

"In my experience in having worked in similar situations, field hospitals can be different to working in a normal healthcare facility.

"Some of the infrastructure that you are used to having immediately available can be a little more challenging. Things such as radiology or laboratory work may take a little longer.

"That doesn’t mean the quality of care being delivered will be any worse, it just means that some things may be a little slower.

"But it is possible to adjust the clinical decision making to suit accordingly," he added.

Better safe than sorry

The NHS Nightingale field hospital in London, set up to provide 4,000 beds at the city’s Abu Dhabi-owned ExCel centre, has remained largely empty as the spread of coronavirus has gradually been tamed, and while Dr Wyon hopes for a similar outcome in Dubai, he prefers to be prepared for the worst.

"I don’t know how big a surge in cases we should expect, but it seems only sensible to plan for a similar surge that is already being seen in most other western countries," he said.

"My experience of working for six years here in the UAE is that government agencies are very good at planning ahead and scaling up to the amount of resources that are needed.

"It may well turn out that the field hospitals are not needed, in which case we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

"It would be much worse to have not erected them and then be in a mass casualty situation," added Dr Wyon.

Dr Sandeep Pargi, a pulmonologist at Aster Hospital in Mankhool said field hospitals could be needed sooner rather than later.

"So many patients are being admitted at the moment all of the ICU wards are full... a lot of the private hospitals are full, and this is becoming a problem for patients with regular health issues," he said.

“This field hospital is a very good decision. It will allow us to treat more patients and save more lives and help us to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“We expect it to reach a peak in the next two weeks," he added.

Several field hospitals have already been set up across the country, including in exhibition centres in Al Ain and Fujairah, as well as medical centres in Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman.