Dubai: H.E. Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority(DHA) highlighted DHA’s focus in ensuring the provision of highly specialised medical conditions, especially rare conditions, to provide the highest quality of accessible and specialised healthcare to community members and visitors alike.

Al Ketbi discussed this during the inauguration of the newly expanded High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center, Dubai’s fully integrated facility for children with moderate to complex special needs, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and Lynn Barghout Jafar, Founder of High Hopes. The expansion of High Hopes has doubled the center’s capacity, allowing for an additional 400 treatment sessions per week and accommodating an additional 100 children.

Al Ketbi was provided an overview of the new treatment methods at the center and highlighted that the DHA encourages and supports the establishment of specialized and integrated facilities and is always seeking to support people of determination with comprehensive, high-level care, and high-quality medical services that meet their needs and deliver on Dubai's commitment as a people of determination friendly city.

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention, said: "We are very pleased to launch the new expansion of the center to enhance support for children of determination and their families throughout the UAE and the region. The UAE affirms its solidarity with all those who suffer from rare diseases, and we are proud to devote considerable resources to the field of genetic sequencing and advanced care in order to develop scientific research and support patients.”

“We are honored to have had H.E. Al Ketbi inaugurate these new facilities, which will allow High Hopes to provide more services to more members of the community seeking therapy and support for their super special ones,” said Lynn Barghout Jafar, Founder of High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center. “High Hopes has promised to keep delivering the best in the world for its families, and is committed to work together with families to help our children reach their full potential. This expansion highlights our continued commitment to this cause to allow us to serve more super special kids in the community and the region.”

High Hopes’ expansion is located adjacent to its existing center in Safa 1, it includes seven brand new therapy rooms including a large soft gym, a brand new playground with adaptive equipment chosen specifically for the needs of  special kids as well as tracks for Gait Training. Equally important, the expansion also houses the ground-breaking TREXO Robotics Device, the only device of its kind in the region, which enables non-mobile children to walk independently and to train.

High Hopes Pediatric Therapy Center has served as a one-stop resource for parents with special needs children up to age 14. The center comprises specialized and highly-trained pediatric therapists with extensive experience working with children with moderate to complex needs, and caters for neurodevelopmental disorders, neuromuscular diagnoses (cerebral palsy, dystonia, etc.), genetic disorders, abnormal muscle tone, sensory processing difficulties, delayed developmental milestones, fine motor/visual motor deficits and self-care difficulties.