UAE: How Urgent Care Centres Help Keep ER Rooms Free For Critical Emergencies

More healthcare groups in the UAE are setting up urgent care centres (UCCs) to help relieve the pressure on hospital emergency rooms (ER). According to experts, it“fills a gap” in the healthcare system

“In many cases, ERs get crowded with patients whose conditions don't require critical intervention but still need immediate care,” said Dr Sherbaz Bichu, CEO of Aster Hospitals and Clinics – UAE, Oman, and Bahrain.“By introducing a General Practitioner-led urgent care clinic within the hospital, we are ensuring that such patients are seen faster and in a more patient-friendly environment, while keeping the ER free for critical emergencies .”

In July this year, Aster Hospital Al Qusais launched this clinic, which operates daily from 10PM to 6AM, as a dedicated facility designed to deliver fast care for patients with urgent but non-life-threatening conditions.

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According to Dr Srikanth Padmanabhan, Specialist in Emergency Medicine at NMC Specialty Hospital in Al Nahda, Dubai, such centres“play a crucial role” in reducing patients at ERs.“UCCs were primarily launched to fill a gap in the healthcare system by addressing the rising demand for immediate medical attention for conditions that are not life-threatening,” he said.“They reduce the burden on public ERs by absorbing non-emergency patients and mitigating the crowding.”

NMC's clinic is located in Abu Dhabi and functions on a walk-in model with no need for appointments, much like Aster's.

Shorter wait times

One of the significant features of these UCCs is that there are much shorter wait times as compared to regular ERs.“Most patients are attended to by a doctor within 15 minutes of arrival,” said Dr Sherbaz.“This is much quicker than an ER visit, where waiting times are longer.”

He said that the setup is“streamlined for rapid assessment, treatment, and discharge” which offers short wait times, while still being backed by the full resources of the hospital if escalation is required.

Dr Srikanth explained why the shorter wait times were possible.“While ERs prioritise patients based on the severity of their condition, UCCs often operate on a first-come, first-served basis,” he said.“Studies have shown that ER stays can last for several hours, whereas urgent care visits are significantly shorter.”

Reduced cost

These centres can help reduce the cost on healthcare system as a whole.“By diverting non-emergency cases away from the high-cost ER setting, the clinic saves money for patients and the broader healthcare system,” said Dr Srikanth.“The emergency rooms, which offer a specialist consult, have substantially higher overhead costs.”

Dr Sherbaz said these clinics were affordable for patients as well.“The cost of visiting the urgent care clinic is comparable to a general practitioner consultation, and significantly lower than a specialist consult,” he said.“This makes it a more affordable choice for patients without compromising on quality of care.”

He added that the UCCs manage conditions such as fevers, flu, infections, mild asthma, sprains, minor cuts, ear and throat issues, stomach upsets, and minor burns.“Patients who present with chest pain, stroke symptoms, severe trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, or any condition requiring critical interventions are immediately directed to the ER,” he said.

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