Upcoming cancer charity hospital in Dubai raises Dhs220m

Al Jalila Foundation said on Tuesday that it has already raised Dhs220m for the under-construction Hamdan Bin Rashid Cancer Charity Hospital in Dubai.

The hospital, being built as a tribute to the late Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will provide free treatment to low-income patients.

Al Jalila Foundation is investing Dhs750m in the 250-bed hospital spanning 50,000 square metres, which will be built in two phases. The hospital is expected to open its doors to patients in 2023.

The facility will be the first fully modular-built hospital in the region. Phase 1 of the hospital includes150 beds equipped and will have an initial capacity to treat 30,000 patients a year.

It will provide comprehensive cancer care ranging from prevention, diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, reported state-run Dubai Media Office.

Currently, Al Jalila Foundation has raised Dhs220m towards the Dhs480m needed to build Phase 1 of the hospital and the first year of operations.

Read: New cancer hospital in Dubai to provide free treatment for low-income patients

Al Jalila Foundation has launched a donor recognition programme called the ‘Trustees Circle of Hope’. The donors include Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Easa Saleh Al Gurg, Mohammed Ibrahim Obaidullah, Hamad bin Ahmad bin Sougat, the family of the late Abdulla Hassan Al Rostamani, the family of the late Abdel Wahid Hasan Al Rostamani, Abdul Rahim Mohammed Belghozooz Al Zarooni, Abdul Hameed Ahmed Seddiqi, Faizal E. Kottikollon and Shabana Faizal, Dr. Rajen A. Kilachand, Raghuvinder Kataria and PNC Menon.

“We are building a state-of-the-art facility for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer with some of the world’s leading oncologists to deliver the best cancer treatment available. At Al Jalila Foundation, we believe that no patient should be left behind,” said Dr. Raja Easa Al Gurg, member of the board of trustees and chairperson of the board of directors of the Al Jalila Foundation.

In the UAE, approximately 4,500 new cases of cancer are reported every year and it is one of the leading causes of deaths.