Opening of the “Sakina” Center for Advanced Care for Major Depression and Psychiatric Emergencies in Abu Dhabi

Sakina, the leading mental health network affiliated with SEHA, a member of the PureHealth group, in cooperation with Johnson & Johnson, opened its new center for major depression and psychiatric emergencies, in the Behavioral Sciences Pavilion within Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi.
The center is considered one of the elite international centers specialized in this field and is the result of a memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties in February 2025, which strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub in providing advanced mental health services.
The new center represents a strategic addition to the mental health system in Abu Dhabi, as it focuses on early intervention, improving patient outcomes, enhancing scientific research and continuing training for doctors and specialists, which contributes to developing a more comprehensive and sustainable model of psychological care.
The center is expected to enhance the readiness of the health system in Abu Dhabi to respond to emergency psychological cases, in line with the vision of the Department of Health to build a more aware and resilient society.
The Executive Director of the Sakina Network, Dr. Zain Al Yafei, stressed that the establishment of the Sakina Center for Advanced Care for Major Depression and Psychiatric Emergencies embodies the network’s firm commitment to developing mental health services in the UAE, pointing out that this initiative is not limited to strengthening the infrastructure, but rather is based on providing rapid, effective, compassion-based care to the most needy groups, which contributes to establishing new global standards for emergency psychiatric medicine.
Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson for Innovative Medicine in the Gulf, Pedro Matos, explained that the cooperation with “Sakina” in developing clinical protocols and launching the Center for Advanced Care for Major Depressive Disorder reflects a firm commitment to promoting evidence-based health care, empowering medical personnel, and ensuring the provision of the most effective and compassionate treatment options for patients in Abu Dhabi and beyond, pointing out that this cooperation aims to create an integrated environment capable of creating a qualitative transformation in the mental health care system for the most needy groups.
The opening was attended by the leadership of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the senior management of the Sakina Network, and representatives of Johnson & Johnson, in addition to an elite group of doctors and specialists in the field of psychiatry.