A landmark medical treatment centre providing various medical services including recreation as well as treatment of senility and chronic diseases will be launched on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi on May 14, according to its operators.
To be based at St Regis resort on the island, the DNA Integrative Medicine and Wellness Centre could turn the UAE into a key curative tourism destination, said a senior official.
“Abu Dhabi represents a key aspect of our strategy…we share many values and we aim to contribute to efforts to turn the emirate into a major recuperation and treatment destination for tourists,” remarked Dr Nasim Ashraf, DNA Health Corp chairman and CEO.
“We look forward to building bridges of cooperation with tour operators in the UAE and other countries, mainly India, Russia, China and South Korea…these countries are considered key tourist exporters to the UAE,” he added.
He said German tour operators had already included DNA’s medical products in their promotion brochures for 2013-2014, adding that Germany already is one of the largest tourist providers to Abu Dhabi and other UAE emirates.
“We believe that market is ready to accept our package which involves treatment, relaxation and recuperation as well as Golf games, free tickets to Monte Carlo beach club and stay in our partnership hotels and resorts,” Ashraf stated
According to him, Saadiyat was picked as an ideal venue for the DNA centre given its beautiful nature, pure water and clean sandy beaches stretching over nine km.
He said a team of medical experts and scientists would manage the centre, adding that it presents a “new concept for curative tourism and alternative medicine in the region.”
He said the team includes experienced personnel trained in the US and that Dr Kristy Higgs, an international expert in functional and integrative medicine, has been appointed as senior consultant at the centre, noting that Dr Kristy has been assistant manager at the US Institute for Functional Medicine.
Another well known medical expert, Dr Jack Kornberg has also been named medical director of the DNA centre on Saadiyat, Dr Ashraf said.
A successful US-board certified surgeon with over 30 years of US-based practitioner experience, Dr Kornberg is a renowned and passionate advocate of functional medicine and the benefits of an integrative approach to the treatment of chronic disease on the global health and wellness seminar circuit.
Another veteran doctor to join the centre is Dr Joshua Berka, a holder of dual degrees in both Naturopathic Medicine and Classical Chinese Medicine.
Dr Berka’s focus is primarily in family medicine, including advanced approaches for the care of acute and chronic disease as well as alternative and complementary cancer treatments.
Other experts to join the centre include Dr Amir Qarshi, who has13 years of experience and practices in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Also joining the centre is Dr Lisa Portera-Perry, a passionate advocate of Functional Medicine Based Nutrition providing a new paradigm for assessing and treating complex and chronic illness. Dr Lisa, a Nutritionist and Chiropractor, will be contributing her 25 years of clinical experience to the centre.
Lifestyle Coach and Functional Medicine Nutritionist, Elizabeth DiMeo, will further augment the DNA centre’s holistic approach to providing client guests with tailored, individual programmes to support their journey to wellness.
Adding a fourth dimension to the centre, in addition to its clinical and preventive offerings, is its dedicated bio-aesthetics division, which will be headed by renowned bio-aesthetician to the Hollywood stars and US television celebrity, Jamie Sherrill.
Jamie is a registered nurse and co-owner of Santa Monica’s Beauty Park Medical Spa, and will be bringing her exclusive treatments, products and expertise for the first time to the region. She will be joined by fellow bio-aesthetician, Dorrie Emrick.
A first-of-its-kind in the region, the centre will provide a series of 21st century integrative medicine and wellness modalities in a singular luxurious state-of-the-art facility in The Collection retail complex. It will offer four dimensions of wellness – clinical, preventive, alternative and bio-aesthetics – based on the highest level of US healthcare and Functional Medicine protocols for the treatment of chronic disease, lifestyle management and healthy aging.
“We are offering a four-day package covering the evaluation of the clients’ medical condition and analyzing their DNA before determining a treatment programme and lifestyle management,” Dr Higgs said.
In recent comments, a DNA official said she expected the establishment of the centre to turn Abu Dhabi into a major destination for tourists seeking medical treatment.
Kelly Smith, director of marketing and communications at DNA, paid tributes to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority for its role in promoting this centre within the UAE, the other Gulf Cooperation Council members and worldwide, adding that the centre is planning promotional campaigns in Saudi Arabia and Russia.
DNA operations manager Dr Ahsan Malik said the centre has already announced treatment packages, adding that he expected strong demand from clients in the UAE, other GCC countries, Russia and other CIS states.
“We expect high demand for our services from those countries…this will largely contribute to bolstering Abu Dhabi’s position on the medical tourism map,” he said.
“We believe that our advanced equipment, good location and qualified personnel will allow us to create a new concept in health services in the region,” he added.
source: http://www.tradearabia.com / Trade Arabia News Service / Home> Health & Environment> Story / Abu Dhabi / March 31st, 2013
