A clinic dedicated to the Filipino expats of Abu Dhabi has opened its doors and will officially begin receiving its first patients on Saturday, 4th March, 2017.

The launch of the Kabayan Clinic, meaning “fellow countryman,” by Universal Hospital was inaugurated by Perfecto R. Yasay Jr., the Secretary of the Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, as well as Costanico R. Vingo Jr., the Ambassador of the Philippines to the UAE.

Dr Shabeer Nellikode, Founder and Managing Director of Universal Hospital, told Khaleej Times the clinic, which has various facilities, including pediatrics, general and internal medicine, dentistry, dermatology and gynaecology, will only be staffed by Filipino doctors and nurses.

“It has been three years since we had this hospital up and running and we realised that in terms of the comfort levels of the Filipino patients, we needed Filipino doctors.”

“We thought for the approximate 700,000 Filipino expats in the UAE, we wanted to do something dedicated for them, by providing an integrated service, where they will feel more comfortable speaking to their fellow countrymen and feel they are in their own environment,” he added.

Dr Nellikode noted that the hospital receives an average of 2000 patients each day, of which 10-12 per cent are Filipino expats.

“We believe the number of Filipino patients will rise now that we have dedicated a special clinic for them.”

Dr Anna Marie Diaz, Medical Practitioner, Universal Hospital, said having a clinic made especially for the Filipino community will allow the relationship between doctors and patients to become stronger because “the communication is better.”

“There are roughly 700,000 Filipinos in the UAE, but there are not many Filipino doctors, so the hospital set up an entire floor exclusively for the Filipino community, which will allow patients to feel at ease and at home.”

She noted that all the doctors and staff will be Filipino, and although the clinic currently has two doctors, the hospital is in the process of recruiting more.

“Currently, the general physicians clinic will only be operating.”

“The Filipino expat community is one of the largest in the UAE, so if we provide a clinic with Filipino doctors, we are encouraging them and making them feel at home,” noted Dr Diaz, who has been working in Abu Dhabi for three years.

Yoko C. Ramos-Vingno, the wife of the Philippine Ambassador, said opening the Kabayan Clinic certainly marks a special day for the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos living in the Capital.

“It is very important for Filipinos to receive advice and care from their fellow countrymen. It will feel like having help and care from back home.”

Ramos-Vingno noted that a number of other hospitals in Abu Dhabi are also introducing their own Filipino clinic.