Dubai:The Radiology Department at Rashid Hospital won the best medical department in the government sector in the country at the 11th edition of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, which has been recognising and honouring innovation and creative initiatives in the health sector within the country and even abroad for the last two decades.

The Radiology Department at Rashid Hospital provides services to the largest hospital in Dubai. The hospital also has a 24/7 Trauma and Emergency Centre, which is the largest in the UAE. It receives thousands of patients daily and more than 450 emergency cases per day at the Trauma and Emergency Centre.

Dr. Usama Mohammad Hassan Al Bastaki, Acting Director of Diagnostic Imaging Department at the DHA said that the department is equipped with more than 50 medical imaging devices, 24 specialist radiologists and 59 medical imaging technicians. The department functions round-the-clock, as diagnostic services are a vital support function to provide guidance to healthcare professionals to detect diseases and to support the clinical pathway for patients in an evidence-based manner.

The department is a referral centre and conducts almost 13,000 radiology tests per month for patients from different emirates of the country.

Al Bastaki said, “We provide a range of radiology services from infectious diseases to accident and emergency cases. There are three major specialties that require enhanced radiology services in Rashid Hospital; therefore, we have specialists in neuroradiology, gastroradiology and chest radiology to ensure high quality services are provided in the related specialties of neurosciences, gastroenterology specialties as well the pulmonology medicine. Additionally, we have radiologists with special training in cardiac MRI and today the department is providing all kinds of needed cardiac MRI examinations to serve the patients of the cardiology department.”

He pointed out that the department provides several kinds of non-invasive cardiac imaging for heart infarct patients, which helps reduce cardiac mortality.  The department also provides cardiac MRI examinations used to evaluate the iron overload in the heart. They also provide this examination for Thalassemia patients to check iron overload in their liver and pancreas.

Dr. Bastaki explained that the department has recently introduced outstanding services in the country such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Before performing brain surgery to remove a tumor or abnormal brain tissue, doctors need to have the best possible picture of what is going on inside a patient’s head. Using this technology, neuroradiologists share a patient’s image results with neurosurgeons, who can then determine which areas to target and which ones to avoid.

Dr. Bastaki said that it is a non-invasive and pain-free test that can make surgery safer and more successful.

Dr. Bastaki added that for trauma patients, the department has a dedicated protocol for CT scans and the department provides 3D images for surgeons in the OT theatres.

Dr. Bastaki said that the department is recognised as a training center by the Arab Council for Medical Specialties.

He added that radiologists from the department have contributed 36 published articles and 68 presentations many of which were awarded at conferences.