The UAE is to build up to 10 hospitals to help improve health care around the world, with the first medical centre to be completed in Indonesia by the end of the year.
About Dh550 million ($150 million) will be invested in the UAE Global Hospitals Programme over the next decade.
The drive reflects the UAE’s long-standing commitment to global health equity and international co-operation, state news agency Wam reported on Thursday.
The UAE-Indonesia Hospital for Cardiac Diseases is being built in Surakarta, Central Java, and will be overseen by the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council. The centre will provide care for thousands of heart disease patients.
"It will not only deliver specialised medical services but also stand as a model for future projects within this programme," said Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan, Minister of State.
The initiative is part of the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Initiative, launched in March by President Sheikh Mohamed in tribute to the humanitarian vision of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
"This initiative will drive meaningful change, embodying our commitment to assisting the underserved and enhancing the well-being and dignity of communities worldwide," said Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed, chairman of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council.
International support
The key support is in line with the UAE's long-standing commitment to bolster healthcare standards around the world.
Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives, a charity foundation based in Dubai, is building the 22,000-square-metre Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Cairo.
The fully-equipped hospital is to provide quality treatment to vulnerable communities and free cardiovascular care to patients from across the Arab world.
The centre was honoured by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, as the Humanitarian Cause of the Year, during the Arab Hope Makers award ceremony in February 2020.
The Emirates is also providing crucial support to under-pressure health services operating in war zones.
It has established two field hospitals in Chad to deliver essential medical care to Sudanese refugees amid ongoing civil conflict in the neighbouring African country.
The UAE set up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip in December as part of its wide-ranging humanitarian support for the enclave. amid war with Israel.
Thousans of patients have been treated at the hospital, which is used for general surgery and orthopaedics, while also offering anaesthetic services and intensive care for children and adults.
It also offers internal medicine, dentistry, family medicine and psychiatric treatment.
It is being operated with the support of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, and the Emirates Red Crescent.
A floating hospital, docked off the coast of the city of Al Arish, has treated more than 2,400 Palestinians since it opened in February.