ABU DHABI, 2nd February, 2015 (WAM) -- Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, GWU, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, FDF, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Professor Maha Barakat, Director-General of Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, HAAD, yesterd officially inaugurated the Corniche Fertility Centre, CFC, in the capital, Abu Dhabi.
The state-of-the-art Corniche Fertility Centre offers a comprehensive range of specialised fertility techniques, including IVF, invitrofertilisation, ICSI, intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, and PGD, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, in accordance with the highest international standards of care.
The centre is located within the renowned Corniche Hospital,an Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) Health System facility. The modern centre combines the latest equipment with the highest international standards of care, along with a dedicated team committed to providing high-quality reproductive healthcare services.
The team is led by Dr. Salem El-Shawarby, Consultant /Sub-specialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, IVF,and ICSI. Dr.El-Shawarby holds a Doctorate in Reproductive Medicine and is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RCOG, London. Dr. El-Shawarby will provide consultation and treatment for fertility patients alongside his team.
Prior to joining Corniche Hospital, Dr. El-Shawarby was a consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery in the UK at the world-renowned IVF Hammersmith, the IVF unit of the Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospitals, Imperial College London.
Dr. Matar Al-Darmaki, Acting CEO of SEHA, said that SEHA is dedicated to providing specialised healthcare services to all Abu Dhabi residents. The Corniche Fertility Centre is an important step to strengthen the position of the Corniche Hospital, enabling it to become the first destination for women in Abu Dhabi which provides superior healthcare services in all disciplines. This will include fertility consultation and treatment, IVF and ICSI, and will be carried out in accordance with the best practices and international standards. A high-tech embryology laboratory is a further string in the centre's bow.
Linda Clark, CEO of Corniche Hospital, said, "The Corniche Fertility Centre offers a full range of assisted reproductive technologies and adheres to the high standards set out by both SEHA and HAAD. Active coordination and cooperation between both Corniche Hospital and SEHA helped HAAD establish the new regulations governing IVF in accordance with accepted international clinical standards." She added that the centre, which is equipped with the latest technology used in the treatment of fertility problems, is aimed at providing excellent services to patients based on an ethos of providing attention for families. Corniche Fertility Centre offers the significant benefit of being part of a full-service maternity hospital that can support the family from conception to delivery.
Clark further explained that SEHA has conducted studies related to fertility and infertility during the reproduction period, and these showed that 20 percent of newly married Emirati couples are susceptible to one of the problems related to fertility at least once in a lifetime, compared to 17 percent for expatriate couples. "On a global level, 9 percent of newly married couples suffer from an infertility condition which lasts 12 months, and one out of every six couples is exposed to a reproductive problem at least once in a lifetime," she noted.
The highly skilled team at CFC is passionate about working with couples who have fertility problems, to give them the very best chance of achieving the ‘gift of life'. Discretion and confidentiality are of the utmost importance at the centre. Each couple is considered unique and will receive care that is specific to their individual needs.
Corniche Hospital is owned and operated by SEHA, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.