Dubai World Trade Centre turned into 3,000-bed field hospital
The centre's exhibition halls will allow hundreds of staff to look after patients, if numbers continue to grow
A ministry of health official is assigned to receive patients at the entrance
The sprawling halls of Dubai's World Trade Centre have been transformed into the Middle East's largest hospital.
It is able to provide 3,000 beds – including 800 for intensive care patients, the centre's director of engineering Ali Abdulqader said.
The move is part of efforts to boost bed numbers to handle a potential increase in Covid-19 patients.
Staff were putting the finishing touches to the field hospital on Wednesday. At full capacity, hundreds of doctors and nurses would work at the site in central Dubai. It is understood there would be a staggered roll out of available beds from Thursday, rising to precisely 3,030 if needed.
It may well turn out that the field hospitals are not needed, in which case we can all breathe a sigh of relief
The centre is one of two field hospitals to boost the city's bed capacity for coronavirus patients from the current 4,000 to 5,000 beds.
Speaking last week, Humaid Al Qatami, director general of 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”.
The World Trade Centre set-up is similar to London's ExCel centre, which was transformed into a 4,000-bed hospital named NHS Nightingale. The facility, which is owned by Abu Dhabi's Adnec centre, was fitted-out in the space of two weeks, with help from the British military.
In the Emirates, medical staff from government and private hospitals are on the front lines of tackling the outbreak.
There were 4,933 cases of Covid-19 as of Wednesday, with 300 to 400 new patients confirmed each day this week.
Officials believe the country will turn a corner in the next three to four weeks as the nationwide stay-home order limits the number of new cases, and mass testing identifies who has the virus.
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.
Handheld Percussion Massage Gun, 30 Speed Powerful Electric Body Massager Sports Drill, Provides Full Body Relief for Muscle Pain, with 4 Massage Heads
"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."
