Dr. Neil Arun Nijhawan Consultant Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Director of Palliative & Supportive Care, Burjeel Cancer Institute
Years of Experience : 10
Nationality : United Kingdom
Languages Known : English
Book AppointmentBiography
Dr. Neil Arun Nijhawan is a UK-trained Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Burjeel Medical City. After medical school at Kings College London, he pursued specialty training in palliative medicine in London and previously worked as a Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London, where he was Clinical Lead for Palliative Medicine. He has over 10 years of clinical experience in palliative medicine. Dr. Nijhawan is the first licensed Palliative Care Physician in Abu Dhabi and is licensed to practice all aspects of palliative medicine. He strongly believes that for all patients, if one’s symptoms are well controlled, they will feel better, and both the patient and their family will tolerate their medical treatments better. Dr. Nijhawan’s ethos is to treat every patient like family and believes that there is always something that we can do to help make people feel better. The overarching aim of Palliative Care is to improve the quality of life of patients through diligent and thorough assessment and treatment of both physical and psychological symptoms. Patients do not exist in isolation and therefore supporting the family is an essential component of the palliative care approach to care. His clinical area of interest is symptom control (including pain, nausea, breathlessness, fatigue) and assistance with complex treatment decision-making at the end of life and he is often called on to provide an independent second opinions. Palliative care is available for everyone – of any age, race, culture, background, and religion.
Research & Publications
- Nijhawan and Al Shamsi (2021). Palliative Care in the United Arab Emirates. I Laher(ed), Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World, Springer Nature Switzerland, 1-18.
- Nijhawan (2020). Reflections of a Palliative Care Physician in the United Arab Emirates. Palliat Med Hosp Care open J. 6(2): 19-21
- Abu-Gheida, Nijhawan and Al Shamsi (2020). Oncology Care in the UAE. I Laher(ed), Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World, Springer Nature Switzerland, 1-18.
- Al Shamsi et al (2020). Challenges for cancer patients returning home during SARS-COV-19 pandemic after medical tourism - a consensus report by the emirate’s oncology task force. BMC Cancer. 20:641; 1-10.
Education & Training
- B.Sc.
- MBBS
- Ph.D.
- MRCP (Internal Medicine, Palliative Medicine)
- CCT
Membership
- Member of the Royal College of Physicians, UK
- General Medical Council, UK
- Association of Palliative Medicine, UK
- International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care, IAHPC
- Emirates Oncology Society, UAE
- Member of The Palliative Care Society of Trinidad and Tobago
