The Ministry of Health and Community Protection has announced the launch of an innovative package of health care services for people with Down syndrome, including the establishment of a multidisciplinary clinic at Fujairah Hospital and the establishment of an electronic health surveillance unit for people with Down Syndrome.
This comes within the framework of the Government's efforts to develop health services for people with disabilities, including those with Down Syndrome, in line with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Medical Genetics.
The project achieves effective communication between different sections of multidisciplinary clinics, which includes all those involved with the care of Down syndrome children. The consultant includes clinical genetics, pediatric cardiologist, ENT, hearing, speech therapy, ophthalmology, physiotherapy, nursing, as well as social worker.
Assistant Undersecretary for the Hospital Sector, Dr. Yousef Mohammed Al-Sarkal, said that this unique service in the UAE has begun to make a qualitative shift in the way of health care through Down Syndrome Clinic, which provides high quality monitoring in a child friendly environment by pediatricians, A social worker specializing in psychological and emotional health, in order to motivate them to launch their abilities within an integrated care system that ensures their quality of life.
He said that the ministry is moving steadily to make an unprecedented shift in healthcare delivery and continue to improve the treatment journey for patients, especially children with Down Syndrome, as a prelude to a new era of smart, innovation-based healthcare.
"We have laid a solid foundation for our strategy to keep abreast with the latest international practices in providing the most comprehensive and innovative healthcare services, and building quality, health, safety and pharmaceutical safety systems."
He stressed the importance of including a special electronic unit for the treatment of Down Syndrome patients, which was provided at Fujairah Hospital, Al Qassimi Hospital for Children, Women and Childbirth and Saqr Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah. "The first phase of the project was actually activated following successful implementation of a small group of children with SIDS A 15-year-old pediatrician in the Department of Pediatrics at Fujairah Hospital. "In the coming months, the project will expand to more than 110 children.
He stressed the importance of empowering those with Down Syndrome, and promoting early intervention programs to integrate them, develop their capacities and qualify them to interact with the community, and provide appropriate health care to avoid any health complications.
In turn, the director of hospital management in the ministry, Dr. Kalthoum Balushi, said that the project is divided into two stages, the first stage of birth until the age of three years, and from four years to 12 years, and the second stage is for adults with Down syndrome, pointing out that this project contributed Early detection, rapid diagnosis, concomitant symptoms, as well as rapid screening of major Down Syndrome diseases, including congenital heart defects, found in about a third of children with the disease.
The time allocated for each case of Down syndrome was increased to 90 minutes with the pediatrician, in addition to preparing for a meeting with the social worker and the specialized nursing team.
She said that the number of subsequent visits and specialized consultations and periodic examination laboratory and radiation, determined since the first visit, to ensure the completion of all procedures associated with appropriate health supervision for children of Down syndrome.