24 hour primary healthcare centres help reduce number of non-emergency visits at Trauma Centre.

During the first four months of 2014, over 28,000 people made use of the 24 hour services at Nad Al Hamar and Al Barsha health centres.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, September 7, 2014: The introduction of round-the-clock and urgent care across two primary healthcare centres at the DHA, has helped in reducing the number of non-emergency cases that visit Rashid hospital’s Trauma Centre, said a top health official.

Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of primary healthcare at the DHA, said: “The total number of patients that visited the 24 hour clinics at Nad Al Hamar and Al Barsha during the first four months of the year was 28,595. During the same time, the number of patients that visited Rashid Hospital’s Trauma Centre reduced from 52, 644 in 2013 to  46, 380 this year.”

She said the introduction of the urgent care units at these two centres and the fact that they function 24 hours has directly impacted in alleviating the pressure that Dubai’s Trauma and Emergency Centre at Rashid Hospital faces.  “ In June 2013, we decided to provide 24 hour service and urgent care across two primary healthcare centres so that patients who needed urgent but not emergency care could visit primary healthcare centres rather than going to Rashid Hospital’s Emergency Centre which caters to emergency cases such as poly-trauma, cardiac arrest, strokes etc.”

She said the two primary healthcare centres are capable of effectively treating urgent cases and are equipped with multi-disciplinary specialists.

Dr Taryam, said: “ Introduction of this service, helps provide better access to healthcare, is in line with the growing healthcare needs of the Emirate and helps reduce the pressure that hospital emergency departments face due to non-emergency cases.”

She said the primary healthcare centres should be the first- point -of contact for patients except for emergencies.