FNC member from UAQ is one its most outspoken members

ABU DHABI // With a push from Umm Al Quwain residents, Dr Sheikha Al Ari made it to the FNC, swiftly becoming one of its most outspoken members.

From the first session in 2011, Dr Al Ari competed with three other FNC members to become the council’s second deputy speaker. Although unsuccessful, she set the tone to her term making it clear she was not afraid of a challenge.

Coming from an educational background, Dr Al Ari has sat in the council’s Education, Media and Youth committee for the past three years.

Since 2012, she has regularly made trips across the country with other committee members to study hurdles faced by the UAE education system.

Although some of the visits - including one to UAE University to check on research spending - ended with parades of achievement instead of information, Dr Al Ari did not shy away from stating so, insisting obtaining the facts she sought.

“There were certain things that we wanted. They do a big show of their achievements but we don’t want that,” Dr Al Ari following a visit to UAE University in 2012. “We heard that some studies were not done because they did not have enough money.”

In the council, Dr Al Ari asked the Minister of Education, Humaid Al Qattami, to change school hours in winter to reduce the number of traffic accidents.

She said children left their homes as early as 6am to reach school for a 7am start, meaning that in winter most of the journey takes place in darkness.

Outspoken about the problems in the health sector in the Northern Emirates, Dr Al Ari also sits on the Health, Labour and Social Affairs committee.

In 2012, she first spoke of the staff shortage and a lack of equipment.

She said Umm Al Qaiwain Hospital’s maternity ward, the only one in the emirate at the time, was closed for maintenance for several months in 2010.

The following year, she quizzed the Minister of Health, Dr Abdulrahman Al Owais, for UAE figures for medical malpractice.

The minister said errors were made in fewer than 1 per cent of cases, but admitted that might be because there is no unified complaints system. He said the higher medical liability board was being streamlined to address that.

Dr Al Ari told the minister that “people want to know they are in safe hands” and to look into the issue.

This year, before the council went on parliamentary break, Dr Al Ari made another plea to the Minister of Heath to improve health care services in the North.

osalem@thenational.ae