Colposcopy services in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a young country with a population of 3 million, an abundant oil wealth, and a high standard of living. There is no organized cervical screening program, but the authorities are planning to introduce one soon.

Objective: To study the availability and quality of colposcopy services.

Methods: A questionnaire survey of all gynecologists in the major government and private hospitals in the country.

Results: Twenty government hospitals offer obstetrics and gynecology services, 11 governments and 4 private hospitals have colposcopy services. Of the 52 specialists performing colposcopy, 8 had adequate training, 3 had formal recognition, and 3 had long-term experience. The number of cases seen per doctor varies from 10 to 100 a year, with a mean and median of 28 and 15, respectively. Three units had the required basic colposcopy equipment for diagnosis and treatment. Only 1 unit performs audit.

Conclusions: Colposcopy service is widely available in many hospitals in the United Arab Emirates, but substantial variation exists in clinical standards and needs more organization and standardization.