Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi’s largest pediatric hospital, has brought high-quality musculoskeletal care closer to home for youngsters and their families in the capital with the launch of its end-to-end children’s rheumatology services. Part of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the UAE’s largest healthcare network, SKMC’s rheumatology specialists complement the hospital’s expansive range of child healthcare services while boosting access to quality pediatric rheumatological care.
Rheumatology is the study and treatment of diseases that affect the muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. An international study cites that pediatric rheumatic illnesses are rare, with long-term inflammatory conditions of the musculoskeletal system affecting approximately one in 1,000 children. Pediatric rheumatology is an ever-evolving specialty that often requires extensive collaboration with almost all other specialties, making it imperative that hospitals provide comprehensive care under one roof.
Dr. Zubaida Alismaili, Acting Deputy Chief Medical Officer, at SKMC said: “Pediatric rheumatology is an evolving field, and one that comes with a perfect mix of academic and clinical work as well as research. Given that rheumatological conditions are often secondary to other ailments, rheumatologists collaborate with almost all other specialties. We always place our patients’ needs at the core of all operations and we are quite excited to offer specialized pediatric rheumatology services to the Abu Dhabi community. Due to popular demand and to ensure that children and their families will have easy access, we are pleased to announce that we are bringing on board a full-time doctor to provide these specialized services much closer to our patients’ homes.”
SKMC’s pediatric rheumatology services are provided at the following facilities:
- Inpatient pediatric wards and pediatric ICU
- Outpatient specialty clinics
- Day care infusion centers
SKMC’s pediatric capacity encompasses seven pediatric inpatient wards, 86 inpatient pediatric beds, and 20 PICU beds.
Dr. Kamran Mahmood, Consultant Pediatric Rheumatologist, at SKMC said: “Our clinic works in collaboration with existing pediatric services to enhance and expand the top-quality medical care we offer to children. The goal of our service is to facilitate swift and accurate diagnosis and management of children and adolescents with rheumatological disorders. We are establishing multidisciplinary services for patients with complex disorders requiring services by multiple specialties, provide education and training for pediatric residents on rheumatological disorders, and establish research projects on rheumatological disorders in UAE.”
Dr. Kamran Mahmood is a UK trained Consultant Pediatric and Adolescent Rheumatologist at SKMC. He received the Certificate of Completion of Training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology in 2016 and was appointed as a Consultant Pediatric and adolescent Rheumatologist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK. Within rheumatology, his areas of special interest are inflammatory bone disease (CNO/CRMO), Behcet's disease and other autoinflammatory conditions, periodic fever syndromes, inflammatory CNS disease, and Sjögren syndrome. Dr. Kamran has a keen interest in research and has a lead on several randomized controlled trials as a principal investigator. He has a special interest in medical education and is a RCPCH Safeguarding instructor and RCPCH College tutor for post-graduate education.
To find out more about SEHA’s pediatric rheumatology services, please book an appointment by calling 80050.
