The Children’s Health Service in the UAE: The Past, Present, and Future

Child health is commonly referred to as pediatrics. The word “Pediatric” is derived from two Greek words: “pais,” which means child, and “iatros,” which means healer, thus meaning the healer of children. Pediatrics is the specialty of caring for children’s well-being, from newborns to adolescents. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article No. 24, stresses that State Parties recognize the right of every child to enjoy the best available standard of health and receive the best treatment for illness and rehabilitation (Convention on the rights of the child text UNICEF. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text. Accessed 21 Nov 2022). The United Arab Emirates (UAE), since its foundation in 1971, has been investing in children and the young generation. The very first modern hospital, founded in 1960 in the United Arab Emirates by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was a maternity and neonatal hospital. Since then, and with the improvement of the economy, the UAE has established a solid healthcare system run by the public and private sectors. This reliable infrastructure cares for infants, children, and adolescents and provides high-quality care in community centers, outpatient clinics, emergency departments, general hospitals, and tertiary centers.