Sharjah 24 – WAM: Under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, has attended the Children’s National Hospital – Washington fundraising ball, at the Cultural Foundation, Qasr Al Hosn, in Abu Dhabi, supporting the UAE’s efforts to provide lifesaving medical treatment for children worldwide.

The Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. is home to the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation, inaugurated in 2010 following a donation of more than AED550 million from the UAE.

The Sheikh Zayed Institute for Paediatric Surgical Innovation has issued 40 patents for paediatric medical innovations, as well as licensing eight companies to market lifesaving paediatric medical technologies.

The medical and scientific partnership between Abu Dhabi and the Children’s National Hospital – Washington has spanned four decades. Since at least 1985, when the UAE Embassy opened a medical office in Washington D.C., the hospital has served thousands of Emirati children, some of whom have travelled to the hospital to receive specialised medical care for complex and life-threatening health conditions such as congenital heart disease, neurological disorders and cancer.

In 2009, a global philanthropic partnership was launched that has helped to transform paediatric medicine through innovation and advanced research.

To date, the UAE has donated more than AED918.1m to the Children’s National Hospital – Washington through the partnership to contribute towards improving the care of children worldwide.

The Children’s National Hospital – Washington has also contributed towards enhancing children’s health within the UAE. Its Visiting Physicians Programme provides specialists to hospitals across the UAE to assist with clinical specialities.