SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
Abu Dhabi has rolled out a new fleet of smart, purpose-built ambulances for critical care patients, mothers, newborns and those with additional mobility needs.
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority (ADCDA) introduced the fleet of 18 ambulances, explaining how these state-of-the-art ER on wheels advances emergency care in the emirate.
"Behind every emergency is a person, a family and a moment where the right intervention can make all the difference," said Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the DoH.
"Our responsibility is to ensure that people across Abu Dhabi can access the right and appropriate care as early as possible, wherever they are and whatever their needs may be."
By equipping emergency teams with capabilities tailored to different patient needs, the initiative helps Abu Dhabi deliver the right care from the earliest moments of an emergency - cutting time to intervention, improving continuity of care, and enhancing patient safety.
In the case of patients who need continuous intensive care, the ambulances' mobile ICU carries all necessary equipment on board, from ventilators to infusion pumps.
Dr Salama Jamal Altamimi, Executive Director Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, explained: "The critical care ambulance can transport patients with highly complex needs, including those already connected to ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines, as well as critical paediatric and trauma cases."
The fleet also carries the systems needed for an all-female emergency team to manage births and neonatal emergencies on the road. Fully integrated incubators and ultrasound machines are among the equipment on board.
"Some births happen outside hospital or while the mother is being transported," Dr Altamimi said. "These ambulances will have specially trained female teams capable of managing deliveries and caring for newborns, including babies who may require immediate resuscitation or breathing support."
The fleet also addresses a common challenge: transporting patients with additional mobility and weight needs. Its specialised loading platforms and stretchers, for example, can support patients up to approximately 350kg.
"Existing ambulances can face limitations when transporting patients weighing 200, 250 or even 300kg. The specialised vehicles are larger and equipped with appropriate systems to safely transport these patients," Dr Altamimi said.
Real-time Coordination with Hospitals
A key part of the system is its integration within the Unified Medical Operations Centre (UMOC), which connects emergency teams with hospitals in real time - meaning specialised care begins even before the patient arrives in the ER. The centre can immediately identify not only the nearest hospital, but which one is best equipped to manage the patient's condition.
Dr Altamimi said this marks a shift from the previous approach, when an ambulance could reach a hospital only to discover the required service or capacity was unavailable. "Now, the receiving hospital can be identified in advance and alerted before the patient arrives, allowing its medical team to prepare."
The integrated approach has already cut transfer times, Dr Altamimi said: "We have reduced the transfer time to 49 minutes, representing an improvement of more than 50%."
UMOC brings hospitals, ambulances and other healthcare resources into a connected command structure, and its reach extends beyond the emirate.
"Coordination covers transfers within Abu Dhabi, between emirates, and even internationally. If an Emirati citizen is injured or becomes seriously ill abroad, the centre can coordinate with search-and-rescue and other relevant entities to support their return to the UAE," Dr Altamimi said.
The Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority also works with UMOC to strengthen medical coordination, manage patient transfers, and share information with hospitals to help them prepare, according to Major Dr Mohammed Salem AlKaabi, Emergency Medicine Specialist at the authority.
"The launch of specialised smart ambulances represents a significant enhancement to the capabilities and readiness of field teams, enabling them to provide specialised care from the earliest moments," AlKaabi added in an interview with Aletihad.
The initiative reflects Abu Dhabi's wider approach to health system resilience: preventing where possible, preparing continuously, connecting capabilities when needed, and learning from every response to strengthen the system further.
Rather than treating ambulances as standalone emergency assets, Abu Dhabi is building an integrated model in which specialised ambulances, healthcare professionals, emergency services, technology and infrastructure operate as one connected system.