Sheikh Khalifa Medical City

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City
Geography
LocationKarama Street, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Coordinates24°28′13″N 54°21′55″E / 24.47028°N 54.36528°E / 24.47028; 54.36528
Organisation
TypeDistrict General
Services
Yes
Beds838 [1]
History
Opened2000 [2]
Links
Websitewww.skmc.ae
ListsHospitals in United Arab Emirates
Outpatient Department at SKMC – July, 2000

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is a medical complex in Abu Dhabi. It serves as the flagship institution of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).[3]

SKMC consists of a 441-bed acute care hospital, 17 outpatient specialty clinics[4] and a blood bank,[5][6] with accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI).[7][8][9] SKMC also manages a 125-bed psychiatric hospital (BSP)[4] and an urgent care center in Abu Dhabi.[10]

History

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City was created in 2005 as a result of the merger of all publicly-held healthcare organizations on Abu Dhabi island.[3][11] The merged entities were:[4]

  • Abu Dhabi Central Hospital – built in the late 1960s; it was the oldest hospital in Abu Dhabi and served as a 200-bed hospital until it was scaled down in 2003 to an emergency centre and an outpatient dialysis unit. The hospital's remaining urgent care and dialysis services closed on 7 February 2008, and the renal unit was relocated to SKMC's Medical Pavilion.[12][13]
  • Abu Dhabi Psychiatric Hospital – a 163-bed facility
  • Abu Dhabi Rehabilitation Center – an 88-bed facility that served mainly as a nursing home for the elderly and people with special needs
  • Al Jazeera Hospital – built in the 1970s; it was a 300-bed acute care medical facility for expatriates who lived on Abu Dhabi Island only
  • Preventive Medicine Clinic
  • Primary Healthcare Clinics – nine clinics dispersed across the island
  • Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center – commissioned in 2000 to serve UAE nationals. Although commissioned as a 250-bed acute care medical facility, it initially operated with fewer than 100 acute-care beds and a two-bed intensive care unit.[14][15]

The merged organisation adopted the name of its newest constituent institution and became known as “Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center”.[4]

SKMC was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in a joint venture with ICME and Tilke.[16][17]

In 2007, SKMC came under the management of Cleveland Clinic.[18][3]

In 2008, SKMC's Surgical Pavilion, Medical Pavilion, and outpatient specialty clinics received accreditation from Joint Commission International.[7][8][9]

In 2009, it became the first hospital outside the United States, and the twelfth worldwide, to receive Cycle III Chest Pain Centre accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centres.[19] Following this, the department of Cardiology received further accreditation in 2012 from the European Association of Echocardiography, and in 2015 from the American College of Cardiology as an International Centre of Excellence.[20]

In 2013, SKMC performed the UAE's first successful kidney transplant using an organ from a deceased donor.[21][22][23]

Clinical services

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City consists of a 441-bed Acute Care Hospital, 17 specialized outpatient clinics [4] and the Blood Bank, and is accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI).[8][9] Additionally, SKMC manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion[4] and an urgent care center located within the city of Abu Dhabi.[10]

In 2025, SKMC renewed its Joint Commission International hospital accreditation and its paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery programme received JCI Clinical Care certification.[24][25]

Departments of related medical specialties collaborate to offer patient-centered care.

Specialist care:

SKMC provides adult and paediatric kidney transplantation services and is developing adult and paediatric liver transplantation programmes.[28]

The hospital has also expanded its paediatric services through a collaboration with Cincinnati Children's, supporting specialist clinical care, research, and medical training.[29] It also operates a dedicated 24-hour paediatric emergency department.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "Abu Dhabi starts Sheikh Khalifa Medical City prequalification". MEED. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary". Emirates News Agency. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Abu Dhabi starts Sheikh Khalifa Medical City prequalification | MEED". MEED. 2012-02-21. Archived from the original on 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "About SEHA Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC)". Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC). Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  5. ↑ "Blood Bank Services". Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC). Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  6. ↑ Nowais, Shireena Al (7 April 2020). "Coronavirus: blood donations slump in Abu Dhabi over Covid-19 fears". The National. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  7. 1 2 Newspaper, Aletihad (2025-08-18). "SKMC earns international accreditation for excellence in paediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery". Aletihad Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  8. 1 2 3 McMeans, Alison (19 August 2008). "Ministry courts medical tourists". The National. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  9. 1 2 3 Team, IMTJ (2009-04-22). "JCI accreditation 2008 report". LaingBuisson News. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  10. 1 2 "Emergency Medicine & 24/7 ED". Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC). Retrieved 2026-07-23.
  11. ↑ "Abu Dhabi starts Sheikh Khalifa Medical City prequalification | MEED". MEED. 2012-02-21. Archived from the original on 2026-07-22. Retrieved 2026-07-24.
  12. ↑ Mussallam, Nada S. (30 January 2008). "Abu Dhabi's oldest hospital to be shifted". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  13. ↑ Beshyah, Salem A.; Beshyah, Anas S. (2013). "Central Hospital of Abu Dhabi: Forty Years of Service to the Community (1968-2008)". Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. ISSN 1947-489X.
  14. ↑ "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Celebrates its Tenth Anniversary". Emirates News Agency - WAM. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  15. ↑ Khalaf, Hala (10 March 2010). "Ten years on, it's even better". The National. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  16. ↑ Rosenfield, Karissa (2012-04-16). "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi / SOM". ArchDaily. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  17. ↑ "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City". Architect Magazine. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
  18. ↑ Peter Zicari, cleveland com (June 4, 2007). "Clinic to take over Abu Dhabi facilities". cleveland.
  19. ↑ Hamilton, Charlie (13 July 2009). "Hospital's award for heart disease treatment". The National. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  20. ↑ Manla, Yosef; Göbölös, Laszlo; Abdulali, Sultan; Binbrek, Azan Salem; Al Nooryani, Arif; Kidambi, Srinath; Almahmeed, Wael (2026), "Cardiovascular Healthcare in the UAE", in Al-Shamsi, Humaid O. (ed.), Healthcare in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore: Springer Nature, pp. 313–333, doi:10.1007/978-981-96-0523-1_21, ISBN 978-981-96-0523-1, retrieved 2026-08-06
  21. ↑ Bell, Jennifer. "A new lease of life for UAE recipient of first transplant from deceased donor". The National. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  22. ↑ "Saudi family donates kidney to Abu Dhabi woman". Arab News. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  23. ↑ IANS. "First kidney transplant from deceased donor in UAE". Archived from the original on 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  24. ↑ Newspaper, Aletihad (2025-08-18). "SKMC earns international accreditation for excellence in paediatric cardiology, cardiac surgery". Aletihad Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  25. ↑ "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City earns international accreditation for excellence in paediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery". www.mediaoffice.abudhabi. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  26. ↑ "Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute Receives CAP Reaccreditation". Emirates News Agency - WAM. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  27. ↑ "Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City receives international accreditation". Abu Dhabi Media Office. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  28. ↑ Newspaper, Aletihad (2025-08-13). "Abu Dhabi completes over 1,000 organ transplants through 'Hayat' programme". Aletihad Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  29. ↑ Nowais, Shireena Al (31 October 2025). "'This will keep families together': Top US doctors team up with Abu Dhabi hospital to care for the young". The National. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
  30. ↑ WAM (2021-11-20). "World Children's Day: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi adds child-friendly renovations". Gulf News. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.