A volunteer-led drive to boost awareness among the UAE's blue-collar workers of the dangers of heat has made a significant impact, doctors said.
On Sunday, about 200 workers attended the final two sessions on heat awareness, given by doctors who volunteered their time. It marked the conclusion of the “beat the heat” initiative and took place at an accommodation centre in the sprawling Muhaisnah area of Dubai, which is home to scores of blocks for dozens of companies.
The campaign was run by the Association of Kerala Medical and Dental Graduates (AKMG) Emirates in collaboration with the consulate general of India in Dubai.
“This is about providing awareness and interactive sessions … at the camps where they live about the perils of heat stroke and how to avoid that,” said Dr Nita Salam, who leads the Dubai branch of AKMG Emirates. She said cases of heat-related illnesses had previously taken place in workers' accommodation.
“The awareness has caused a lot of change in the way they handle things. Now they are able to understand the danger signs even before they happen.”
Helping thousands
The campaign started on June 15, and according to Dr Salam it reached more than 2,300 workers in Dubai and Sharjah and up to 3,300 workers in 18 worker accommodations across the UAE. The drive also has the support of authorities and comes as the UAE marks the Year of Community.
Despite August coming to a close, temperatures remain high, with the hottest temperature recorded in the UAE on Sunday a scorching 47.6°C in Hamim in the Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi. Temperatures in parts of Dubai were also only a few degrees short of 50°C. Dr Salam said the message about heat was getting through.
“The most important one is to keep oneself hydrated and to look for danger signs,” she said. “They all work in very difficult situations – very high temperatures – so we gave them … several steps that they have to follow to avoid heat stroke but at the same time ensure that they have enough hydration.”
Volunteers on Sunday provided advice to about 200 workers, largely from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, on how to avoid exposure in the middle of the day, how to stay hydrated and how to handle cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. They were also advised on wearing appropriate clothing, basic first aid, what to do in an emergency and ensuring a culture of heat safety.
Workers were also able to raise concerns privately and receive advice, and were provided with heat information leaflets in their language and care packages including drinks, sunscreen and moisturising cream. Doctors have stressed that if a person is experiencing mild symptoms such as headaches, they should be taken to a cool area to rest, and provided with cooling drinks and a cold compress.
In more extreme cases emergency care may be required. Workers who are older may have pre-existing conditions and workers from colder regions such as Nepal can be more vulnerable.
Dr Archana Nair, social services convener at the Dubai branch of AKMG Emirates, said they have been going to worker accommodations to listen about the problems they face – from the heat to long days – and added that it was important to lend them a hand. “Behind every building is the sweat and sacrifice of so many workers,” she said. “They are the workforce behind Dubai's wonderful skyline.”
The UAE has taken measures to protect workers during the summer, such as implementing the annual June 15 to September 15 midday break, which prohibits outdoor work between 12.30pm and 3pm.
Doctors have repeatedly urged people to stay inside if possible during the peak heat hours, avoid strenuous activity during this time and stay hydrated. The campaign also came in a year in which summer started earlier, with the UAE experiencing its hottest April on record.
The UAE then breached the temperature record for the month of May on two consecutive days, hitting 51.6ºC in the Sweihan area on May 24. It followed the previous day’s record of 50.4°C, also in Abu Dhabi emirate.
Climate change, along with other issues such as the El Nino phenomenon ending, have contributed to the heat, experts have said. Other parts of the world have also been hit by warmer than usual weather this summer.
Message gets across
Prince Kumar, a bus driver from Punjab in India, attended one of the sessions. Speaking through a translator, Mr Kumar said he will “make sure” to drink plenty of water and will be more cautious in the sun.
Mohammed Sartaj, a fabricator, also from India and also speaking through a translator, said there have been times when has been difficult to work during the summer, but that he now “informs the foreman”, and that they give them “time to relax in the rest area”.
Mr Sartaj, who works on a hotel project on Ras Al Khaimah’s Al Marjan Island, said the sessions had taught him that being out in the sun for too long can be life-threatening, and that he knows the “seriousness” of it now.
Accommodation manager Santhosh Thota, also from India, said there was a procedure to follow in case of heat illnesses, and that workers were now much better informed. “They now notice everything and how to manage it,” he said. “It is better now.”
AKMG Emirates, meanwhile, is a non-profit network of healthcare professionals from India’s Kerala region that are based in the UAE. They run frequent campaigns across the UAE including on heat awareness.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Various Artists
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