AKUH’s First Representative Office in Dubai Inaugurated

AKUH’s first international Representative Office was inaugurated in May, 2002 by H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Assistant Under Secretary and Director of Sharjah Medical District. Officials of the UAE Ministry of Health, the Consul General of Pakistan, cardiologists, prominent members of the Pakistani community and media representatives were present on the occasion. The AKU team from Karachi was led by Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, S.I., President of Aga Khan University, and included Nadeem Mustafa Khan, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital, Asif Fancy, Senior Director, Resource Development and Public Affairs, and Talaat Tyabji, Director Marketing and Public Affairs.

AKUH’s first international Representative Office in Dubai was inaugurated by H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Assistant Under Secretary and Director of Sharjah Medical District (right), in the presence o Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, AKU President (centre) and Mr. Amanullah Larik, Consul General of Pakistan (left).

Addressing the select gathering at the inauguration ceremony, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Al Qassimi appreciated the efforts of the University for providing an opportunity for cost-effective health care options to the UAE population and assured his continued support. He said, “We appreciate the efforts of Aga Khan University for providing good quality medical treatments such as open heart surgery and oncology care and for opening an opportunity for cost-effective health care options to the UAE population and to assist patients in obtaining feedback from AKUH consultants on their medical reports and diagnosis. With deep-rooted relations between our two countries and mutual benefits, our friendship will flourish especially when we plant the seeds today. The co-operation between the UAE Ministry of Health and AKUH will get stronger with branches all over the Gulf and this friendship will flourish in the future with sweet fruit."

Thanking the chief guest, Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, informed the gathering that after the successful operation of the AKUH Patient Referral and Information Desk in Hyderabad, AKUH Representative Office in Dubai was the first representative office outside Pakistan. Commenting on the objective of this Office, he said, "It is established to provide convenience and easy accessibility to AKUH's high-quality, cost-effective services to patients in UAE. The office will not only provide information about the facilities available at the Hospital but will also assist patients in obtaining feedback from AKUH consultants on their medical reports, scheduling appointments, providing cost estimates for treatment required and making transportation and lodging choices in Karachi."

To mark the inauguration of AKUH’s first international Representative Office in Dubai, two public health awareness programmes,“Signs, Symptoms and Care”, were organised, one each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The programmes received excellent encouragement and response from members of the public, and included presentations by Dr. Shahid Sami, Associate Professor and Head of the Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery (left), and Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman Quraishi, Assistant Professor of the Section of Cardiology (right).

Delivering the vote of thanks, Nadeem Mustafa Khan said that as a teaching institution, AKUH is committed to providing the best possible options for diagnosis of disease and team management of patient care that is comparable to the best medical centres in North America. The University Hospital provides a high quality of patient care covering a large spectrum of medical and surgical diagnoses and treatment, such as open heart surgery, hip replacement surgery, neurology, and oncology.

The Hospital's professional staff and facilities are among the best in the region. It has the distinction of being the first in Pakistan and among the first few teaching hospitals in the world to receive ISO 9002 certification for developing and maintaining consistent international standards of quality service. The Hospital receives a large number of patient referrals every year from East Africa and the Middle East. The AKU team had a productive meeting with Minister of Health, H.E. Hamad Abdul Rahman Al-Midfa. They discussed various opportunities that could be available for co-operation and collaboration between AKU and the Ministry of Health in UAE.

Accompanied by the Ambassador of Pakistan, His Excellency Maj. Gen. Retd. Salim Ullah, Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha also called on the Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak al  Nahyan.