Oasis Hospital has been serving the residents of the Eastern Region and beyond since 1960 at the invitation of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Our shared beliefs and values carry this tradition forward for generations to come.
Oct 11, 2009
Oasis Hospital Breaks Ground for New Building
Oasis Hospital, which turns 50 in November, 2010, broke ground for its new facility on Monday, September 28, 2009. This new facility is made possible by a grant from His Highness Shaikh Kalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi.
The new building will include plenty of natural light, comfortable waiting areas, expanded clinics. At the request of the local patients, a wing of VIP Patient rooms in the current hospital will continue to remain in operation. Additionally, there will be more delivery beds and rooms in the Kennedy Center for New Life, four well-equipped operating rooms and many new services.
The Ground Breaking ceremony marked a significant step forward into the future for Oasis Hospital, and many were here to celebrate. Dr. C Scott Harrison, President and Founder of CURE International, Oasis Hospital's parent organization, came from the US. Others in attendance included Lord Simon Reading, a member of the CURE board, from the UK, members of the UAE Advisory Board, and other representatives from: HAAD, the new hospital project team, US Embassy, Canadian Embassy, Peddle Thorp Architects, HCT, UAEU Faculty of Medicine, Oasis Hospital leadership team, as well as female medical students who were at the hospital for a lecture series.
There was a brief ceremony on an empty plot of land on the current hospital grounds- land that was first surveyed by Dr. Pat & Marian Kennedy in 1960 when they were invited to come and set up a hospital in Al Ain. The population of Al Ain has grown immeasurably since those first days in Oasis' history. The nearly 50% infant mortality rate has been reduced to less than 1%, and the maternal mortality rate of 30% has fallen to virtually zero! Oasis Hospital was on the forefront of that change in the 1960s and 1970s, and will continue to be on the forefront of quality, personalized and specialized care.
It is important to think of this new building not just as a new hospital; rather, as President and CEO, David Printy said to the 100 or so people who came for the celebration, "As the shovels go into the ground, it's not necessarily a new hospital but the continuation of a vision by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a man I would have loved to have met."
We look to the future, continually building on the foundation of Shaikh Zayed's vision from 1960 to care for the people of Al Ain and the surrounding communities. In the 1960s we focused on the critical need of Maternal Health. Maternity care will always be a high priority for Oasis, but now we are able to expand our focus and our services.
Many new services are set to begin in the coming months. Some new services have already begun. These new services include: General and Pediatric Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Cardiac Care, and Ear Nose and Throat services and surgery.
The new hospital will be a full-service hospital, caring for all nationalities, ages, and sexes with the compassion and love of Jesus Christ.
