Your child's digestive health deserves a specialist, not general approaches borrowed from adult gastroenterology. DRFK Turkish Medical Center provides dedicated pediatric gastroenterology through Dr. Haticenur Kirar, a DHA-licensed paediatric gastroenterologist, expert in pediatric endoscopy, and CEO of DRFK, delivering diagnosis and evidence-based treatment from infancy through adolescence.
DRFK Turkish Medical Center is located at Villa 2, Al Athar Street, Jumeirah 3, Dubai. The clinic is easily accessible from Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al Safa, Business Bay, and Downtown Dubai within around 15 minutes via Sheikh Zayed Road, with on-site parking available.
A child's digestive system is not a miniature adult gastrointestinal tract, it develops progressively from birth through adolescence with age-specific physiology, prevalence patterns, diagnostic criteria, and treatment protocols that differ fundamentally from adult practice. The most common mistake parents make is attributing persistent digestive symptoms, recurrent abdominal pain, chronic constipation, poor weight gain, or diarrhoea, to diet or behaviour alone; in many children an underlying digestive condition responds rapidly to specialist management. Dr. Haticenur Kirar provides the diagnostic precision that changes outcomes when symptoms persist.
Lead specialist
Pediatrician and Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Pediatric Gastroenterology
10+ years experience
DHA License No: 88835524-001
View full profileGastro-oesophageal reflux is physiologically common in infants but pathological GERD requiring specialist management affects a clinically significant proportion of babies and young children. Presentations range from excessive posseting and feeding distress in infants to heartburn, chest pain, and oesophagitis in older children and adolescents. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar differentiates between physiological reflux and pathological GERD providing age-appropriate dietary modification, positional guidance, and medication where indicated, with pediatric endoscopy for mucosal assessment when clinically required.
Constipation is the most common digestive complaint in children presenting to a paediatric gastroenterologist in Dubai. Functional constipation, the most prevalent form, produces infrequent, hard, or painful stools and can cause significant distress, stool withholding behaviour, and soiling (encopresis). Management requires a structured approach combining dietary fibre optimisation, fluid intake, toilet training guidance, laxative therapy, and behavioural support sustained over months to break the withholding cycle.
Organic causes of constipation including Hirschsprung's disease, hypothyroidism, and anorectal malformations must be excluded before a functional diagnosis is confirmed. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar ensures every child with significant or treatment-resistant constipation receives the appropriate investigations to exclude organic pathology.
Chronic diarrhoea in children, particularly when associated with poor weight gain, growth faltering, or nutritional deficiency, requires specialist paediatric gastroenterology assessment to exclude malabsorption syndromes including coeliac disease, cow's milk protein allergy, inflammatory bowel disease, and rare congenital enteropathies. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar provides structured malabsorption evaluation including serology, stool analysis, and small bowel biopsy at pediatric endoscopy where indicated.
Paediatric IBS is increasingly recognised in children, producing recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, and altered bowel habits affecting school attendance, sleep, and quality of life. Diagnosis requires careful exclusion of organic pathology and assessment of dietary triggers, psychological contributors, and gut motility. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar provides comprehensive paediatric IBS management combining dietary manipulation (including low-FODMAP guidance where appropriate), gut-directed therapy, and family-centred psychosocial support.
Coeliac disease, autoimmune gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is frequently diagnosed in childhood. Classic presentations include diarrhoea, bloating, poor weight gain, and growth faltering. Atypical presentations, anaemia, bone pain, mouth ulcers, and fatigue, are increasingly recognised and frequently delayed in diagnosis. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar provides coeliac serology, diagnostic confirmation by small bowel biopsy at pediatric endoscopy, and comprehensive dietary counselling for the gluten-free diet, the only effective treatment.
Food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis, eosinophilic oesophagitis, cow's milk protein allergy, lactose intolerance, and fructose malabsorption are all clinically distinct conditions requiring different diagnostic and management approaches. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar provides structured food allergy and intolerance assessment clarifying which foods are responsible for your child's symptoms and providing a precise dietary elimination and reintroduction plan based on confirmed diagnosis.
Paediatric Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, increasingly diagnosed in adolescents and even young children, require early specialist intervention to minimise the impact on growth, development, and long-term gastrointestinal health. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar provides diagnostic colonoscopy and upper GI endoscopy, disease activity assessment, and a structured management plan including nutritional therapy, corticosteroids, immunomodulators, and biological therapy where indicated.
Recurrent abdominal pain is one of the most common reasons children are referred to a paediatric gastroenterologist in Dubai. It requires systematic evaluation to distinguish functional pain disorders from organic pathology, a process that requires specialist clinical experience and targeted investigations, not a generic pain management prescription. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar takes a comprehensive approach to paediatric abdominal pain ensuring every child with recurrent or chronic abdominal pain receives the investigation and diagnosis their symptoms deserve.
Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar is an expert in pediatric endoscopy, the specialist upper GI and lower GI endoscopic assessment of children requiring mucosal visualisation and biopsy for diagnosis. Paediatric endoscopy differs significantly from adult endoscopy requiring child-specific equipment, specialist paediatric anaesthetic protocols, age-calibrated sedation, and a team with the experience to perform technically accurate procedures in children across all age groups.
At every pediatric endoscopy at DRFK, Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar is supported by Dr. Zahra Ghafari (Anaesthesiologist) for specialist paediatric sedation, ensuring every child undergoes their procedure safely, comfortably, and without distress.
Lead specialist
Pediatrician and Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Pediatric Gastroenterology
10+ years experience
DHA License No: 88835524-001
View full profileDr. Hatiçenur Kırar is a DHA-licensed paediatric gastroenterologist and the CEO of DRFK Turkish Medical Center, bringing specialist expertise in paediatric gastroenterology and pediatric endoscopy to every child who presents to our clinic. As a paediatric gastroenterologist and endoscopist, she provides the full spectrum of paediatric digestive diagnosis and management, from dietary counselling for infant reflux and food allergy through to endoscopic investigation of complex paediatric gastrointestinal conditions.
Her role as CEO of DRFK means every child presenting to our paediatric gastroenterology programme benefits from a clinical environment designed around multidisciplinary paediatric care, with paediatric physicians, a paediatric endoscopy-capable suite, in-house radiology, and laboratory, all coordinated within a single DHA-licensed facility.
"Every child with a digestive problem deserves a diagnosis, not a reassurance and a return appointment. My approach is to investigate properly, explain findings clearly to parents, and provide a management plan that is practical and effective for the whole family.", Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar, Paediatric Gastroenterologist, DRFK Dubai
Lead specialist
Pediatrician and Pediatric Gastroenterologist
Pediatric Gastroenterology
10+ years experience
DHA License No: 88835524-001
Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar, full profileSee Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar's full biography and qualifications on our Doctors page.
Many families arrive at their first pediatric gastroenterology consultation in Dubai uncertain of what to expect, particularly with a young, anxious, or pre-verbal child. Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar conducts every paediatric consultation in a genuinely child-friendly way, taking time to build rapport with the child, communicating findings in plain language to parents, and explaining every investigation and treatment option before proceeding.
Parent interview, comprehensive symptom, dietary, developmental, and family history, forms the foundation of every paediatric consultation. The clinical examination is conducted at the child's pace. Where investigations are required, they are explained step by step, and preparation instructions are provided in written form to remove any uncertainty at home.
The cost of paediatric gastroenterology consultation and procedures at DRFK depends on the complexity of the clinical assessment and the investigations required, whether dietary assessment and blood tests alone, or paediatric endoscopy with biopsy. A personalised cost estimate is provided following Dr. Hatiçenur Kırar's initial assessment.
Most UAE health insurance plans cover specialist paediatric gastroenterology consultation, diagnostic investigations, and clinically indicated paediatric endoscopy. Our team manages all pre-authorisation on behalf of insured families. Self-pay families receive a full procedure cost breakdown before any investigation is confirmed.
DRFK Turkish Medical Center, Villa 2 Al Athar Street, Jumeirah 3, Dubai, UAE.
Appointments are typically confirmed quickly. Families can book by phone, WhatsApp, or online.
Diagnosis and biopsy when indicated, with child-appropriate equipment and paediatric anaesthesia support for safety and comfort.
Serology and, when required, small-bowel biopsy with gluten challenge protocols explained before any diet change.
Lactose, fructose and SIBO breath tests where age-appropriate; stool tests coordinated with the lab team.
Gluten-free, elimination and reintroduction plans, growth-focused feeding advice, and IBD nutrition support.
Low-FODMAP and gut-directed strategies where suitable, with behavioural and school liaison as needed.
Bring growth charts, prior blood tests or imaging, and a medication or supplement list
A short food–symptom diary before the first visit helps the consultation
For coeliac blood tests, do not start a gluten-free diet before serology is arranged unless you are already instructed
Bring Emirates ID, insurance details and a comfort item for your child to the visit
Medically reviewed by Dr. Haticenur Kirar, Paediatric Gastroenterologist | DRFK Turkish Medical Center, Jumeirah 3, Dubai | Last updated: April 2026
Every day: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Villa 2 Al Athar Street, Jumeirah 3, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
