The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Rania Al Ghazzawi, Staff Reporter

The Department of Health-Abu Dhabi decided to withdraw 20 batches medical products used in catheterisation and other healthcare operations from the Emirate because of their possibility of causing serious infection to patients if they were not immediately substituted with good ones.

The decision of the Department was based on the reports of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to withdraw the batches of the following medical supplies including feeding tubes, nelaton catheters, levins tubes, rectal catheter, ryles tubes, suction catheters and stomach tubes.

The British manufacturer said, “There is a defect in the tubes mentioned. They were not manufactured correctly as there was a problem in the measurements of the holes of these tubes. This could cause failure of  passage of the therapeutic materials for the patient which could cause complications that may lead to death.”

In a circular issued to all medical facilities in the emirate and all health care practitioners, the Department of Health requested to stop using the medical supplies aforementioned and return them to suppliers. The health facilities should contact the Al Mazrouei medical equipment distributor to return the items.

Department of Health -Abu Dhabi is the regulative body of the Healthcare Sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ensures excellence in healthcare for the community by monitoring the health status of the population.

DoH defines the strategy for the health system, monitors and analyses the health status of the population and performance of the system.

In addition DoH shapes the regulatory framework for the health system, inspects against regulations, enforce standards, and encourages adoption of world-class best practices and performance targets by all healthcare service providers in the Emirate.

DoH also drives programmes to increase awareness and adoption of healthy living standards among the residents of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in addition to regulating scope of services, premiums and reimbursement rates of the health system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.