In a significant legal move, a Dubai court has ordered the seizure of medical equipment at a local healthcare facility to pay off creditors and settle outstanding wages owed to its staff, including doctors and nurses.
The court’s enforcement action followed a site inspection earlier this year in March, conducted by a court-appointed executor. During this inspection, a detailed inventory of the clinic’s medical equipment and furniture was made. The items seized include advanced diagnostic tools such as X-ray machines, automated analysers, and bronchoscopy equipment, all valued at millions of dirhams. Essential items, including patient beds, infusion pumps, and blood pressure monitors, were also taken into custody. One of the most valuable assets seized was a catheterisation cardiac system worth Dh1.7 million.
This move comes after the facility’s failure to meet its financial obligations, including a backlog of unpaid salaries to staff and mounting debts to creditors. Unable to fulfill its financial responsibilities, the court authorized the confiscation of assets to recover the dues.
The hospital’s employees, many of whom have gone months without receiving pay, have expressed mixed reactions to the court’s decision. “For too long, the hospital failed us,” said a former physician, who, like many others, faced financial hardships due to the non-payment of wages. “Justice has finally been served.” A nurse, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added, “I struggled to pay rent and bills. This is bittersweet — it’s the end of a workplace, but also a chance for us to be compensated.”
The seizure of the medical equipment marks a dramatic conclusion to months of financial turmoil for the healthcare facility, which will now face the difficult task of settling its debts and addressing its obligations to its employees.
