The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, has announced the temporary closure of a healthcare centre and a health complex after detecting several violations committed by the facilities.

These violations include failure to adhere to safety procedures and means of infection prevention, use of expired materials and tools, and non-compliance with the standards and regulations for medical waste disposal and the storage of blood units.

DoH also detected other violations by the two healthcare facilities including the lack of licenced physicians in the specialities mentioned in the facility’s licence, issued by the DoH. Additionally, the violations included non-compliance with the engineering and technical layout of the facility’s plan, approved by DoH, and the failure of members of the medical staff to carry out the prescribed vaccinations.

DoH has stated that this decision came mainly to protect the health and safety of patients, and to allow the facilities to take all necessary rectification actions. The Department mentioned that its Inspection and Control team will conduct future visits to these facilities, to ensure the appropriate application of the correctional procedures.

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has called on all healthcare facilities operating in the Emirate to comply with its policies and regulations to preserve the health and safety of all community members, and to resume its operations and provide healthcare services in accordance with international best practices.