Emirati patients in South Korea get a surprise visit from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

No matter how much love and care is lavished on you, a hospital far away from home is a lonely place when you’re only three years old.

So the unexpected, very special guest who visited little Emirati girl Sara Al Mehrezi in her South Korean hospital ward on Thursday was extremely welcome.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, dropped in on Sara and many other children and adults being treated at St Mary’s Hospital in Seoul, the state news agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohammed, also Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, stopped for a short visit with Sara, and wished her good health and a quick return with a fatherly kiss.

The Crown Prince, on an official visit to the country, shook hands with other children and greeted older patients, also wishing them a speedy recovery.

“We will spare no effort to provide treatment to our patients, either through our health facilities or by sending them to world-class foreign hospitals,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

He told them the President, Sheikh Khalifa, placed great importance on the health and well-being of citizens, and wished them a rapid recovery and safe return to the UAE.

South Korean health minister Moon Hyungpyo gave Sheikh Mohammed a personal tour of the hospital, which is known for its eye-care treatment and bone marrow transplants for leukaemia patients.

Patients said they were extremely happy to see him and that he brought a smile to their faces.

Last night, the Crown Prince held talks with the South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, where they discussed the ties of friendship and cooperation between the nations and ways to develop them.

During his visit, Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, also met Emirati students and interns.

“We are proud to see you in Korea, gaining knowledge and training in prominent educational institutes so as to contribute to nation-building and progress,” Sheikh Mohammed told them.

“You are up to our expectations and you are our real assets. The UAE, under the leadership of President Sheikh Khalifa, pins high hopes and aspirations on the advanced knowledge-armed generations like you.

“Emiratis have been, and will always remain, the key focus of our strategic plans. We stay the course of the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed, in paying proper attention and care to education.

“It is the same approach that President Khalifa is following.”

More than 300 Emirati engineers have been sent for training in South Korea by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation since its inception in 2009.

The Korea Electric Power Corporation, or Kepco, is the main contractor for the UAE's first nuclear reactors in Barakah, in Abu Dhabi's Western Region.

Enec, the federal authority responsible for building and operating the country’s first nuclear power plant, plans to train talented science students, engineering graduates and professionals to become pioneers in the emerging nuclear-energy industry.

It has sent 115 students to South Korea to study for higher diplomas in nuclear technology.

A group of Emirati students are being professionally trained in maintenance, support operations and engineering. They are expected to finish their programme in May.

One hundred engineers are also in the Reference Power Plant programme in South Korea.

By 2020, Enec is expected to have a pool of 2,000 professionals. It is offering scholarships to provide nationals with the opportunity to be part of the UAE’s power supply industry.

Sheikh Mohammed also visited the National Museum of Korea in Seoul on Thursday.

pkannan@thenational.ae