Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi recorded its biggest year for organ transplants, with 117 carried out in 12 months, its annual report for 2021 shows.
The flagship hospital completed 56 kidney, 46 liver and five pancreas transplants, along with three heart and seven combined transplants within the year.
That made up more than half of all transplants performed since its launch in 2017.
One of the operations was for Montasir, a boy, 14, who became CCAD’s youngest transplant recipient from a living donor in May 2021, when he received a life-saving organ from his older brother.
"The procedure was one of the most complex living donor transplants ever performed at the hospital," said Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, chairman of CCAD, in a statement.
"We are proud that Montasir has since made a full recovery. To me, this story encapsulates what makes Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi special."
Throughout last year, CCAD recorded almost 800,000 patient encounters, including 693,446 completed outpatient appointments, 22,098 surgical cases, 13,220 hospital patient admissions and 55,534 emergency department visits.
The workload was shouldered by a team of 5,560 caregivers, including 416 physicians, more than a fifth of whom are Emirati.
CCAD also recorded an increase of 35 per cent in robotic urology surgeries, a 27 per cent increase in open heart surgeries and an 80 per cent increase in structural heart procedures in 2021.
The first international extracorporeal membrane oxygenation retrieval was successfully completed from Bahrain as was the first PreserFlo™ MicroShunt glaucoma surgery in the Middle East, a minimally invasive procedure that reduces complications of traditional glaucoma.
The clinic's epilepsy programme also grew by 12 per cent during the year.
"These are just a very small selection of the remarkable achievements across our institutes," said Jorge Guzman, CCAD's chief executive.
"We want to serve more patients and we want our patients to feel Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is the best place to receive care.
"At the same time, it is our ongoing mission to be the best place to work in health care."
Plans include the opening of a dedicated cancer centre, which is expected to start welcoming patients next month.
"It will mark another historic milestone for Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, providing the highest standards of specialised oncological screening, diagnostics and treatments, ensuring that cancer patients have access to the best and most comprehensive care in the UAE and the region," said Mr Guzman.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi milestones in 2021
- CCAD performed the UAE's first deep-brain stimulation operation. The life-changing treatment, which involves a lengthy operation supported by an extensive, multidisciplinary team, was given to four Emiratis living with Parkinson’s disease. The patients all benefited from a significant reduction in the symptoms associated with their condition after the surgery.
- In a global first, doctors at CCAD devised an innovative method to significantly reduce the risk involved in aortic aneurysm surgery. The modified branch-first surgical technique was successfully performed at the hospital on a patient undergoing open surgical repair of his enlarged aorta.
- CCAD performed the UAE's first ‘own’ kidney transplant. The complex surgery saw surgeons successfully transplant a kidney back into a patient after removing it to excise a cancerous tumour.
- An Emirati patient became the first in Abu Dhabi to receive an innovative new treatment for his advanced Parkinson’s disease. The new medication reduces the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s and helps patients to regain control of their lives.
- CCAD performed the UAE's first tricuspid clip heart procedure. For many patients with previously untreatable severe tricuspid heart regurgitation, the innovative, complex, non-surgical procedure offers significant improvement to their quality of life.
- Advanced technology was introduced to CCAD to reduce reliance on medication in patients suffering with chronic pain. The innovative peripheral nerve stimulation treatment offers a significant, long-lasting reduction in pain for thousands of patients living with nerve and musculoskeletal pain.
- A physician at CCAD’s Eye Institute created innovative software technology which, when combined with high resolution ultrasound, allows patients who previously were not candidates for vision-correcting surgery due to high refractive error, to undergo the procedure, representing a world-first innovation in refractive surgery.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
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(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
