Celebrating Eid was not an option for the UAE’s dedicated hospital staff this year as they tended to patients battling Covid-19.
Public and private sector workers enjoyed a five-day holiday to mark the festivities, but doctors and nurses continued to rack up long hours, especially those working in intensive care units (ICU) supporting critically ill patients.
Dr Mohammed Umar Quraishi, a general practitioner resident for internal medicine and ICU at Prime Hospital in Dubai, said that he and fellow staff were on “extra duty” this Eid.
"What happened is that we have to put extra efforts because the numbers are high right now," he told The National.
“We must dissociate from Eid and the celebrations and hope next year is better, not just for us but everyone else as well.”
“Most patients in the ICU have a 50 per cent chance so we can’t afford to have days off. We are stretched thin.”
The UAE had recorded 30,207 coronavirus cases as of Monday evening, with 248 deaths and 15,657 recoveries.
Dr Quraishi said his hospital currently had 11 patients in the ICU and six to seven nursing staff, as well as two to three doctors available.
“The time Covid-19 patients spend on the ventilator can be up to a month,” he said.
“Young patients are spending 20 days on the ventilator because that’s the nature of the illness. These are patients who can develop a stroke and heart attack, so we have to be available.”
Dr Quraishi goes home to his elderly parents who suffer from diabetes. He said he leaves most of what he carried at the hospital behind, showers twice when he reaches home and social distances from his family to keep them away from potential risk.
Mohamed Hegazy is a nurse who works at the King’s College Hospital’s ICU and was spending his first Eid away from his family in Egypt.
His colleagues brought balloons and sweets for the staff celebrating Eid, which they enjoyed inside the ICU during a brief 10-minute break.
“There really was no proper celebration. Our priority is our patients. I’m working 12 hour shifts for four to five days each week and our time is really needed at the hospital,” said Mr Hegazy, who carried out his Eid prayer in the ICU.
When he finishes from his shift, Mr Hegazy must return to a hotel room provided by his employer for isolation.
He said all the staff have been given hotel rooms to keep their families at home away from risk.
“My family is in Egypt, but I live with four roommates here. I’ve been in this hotel for three weeks,” said Mr Hegazy.
Michael Redmond, the head nurse at King’s College Hospital, said the facility has nine out of 11 beds that are occupied in the ICU.
The unit has two doctors and one nurse to each patient.
“It’s hard to consider Eid as a celebration when there are patients who can’t even have family visit them,” Mr Redmond, an Irish citizen, said.
“However, the morale of our staff is quite high at the same time and they work quite well as a team. They keep the spirits high but are extremely aware of the severity of the condition the patients are in.”
In Monday's press briefing, Dr Amna Al-Dahhak, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Prevention, encouraged residents to “call and thank” workers in the healthcare sector.
"It is a different Eid for all the families who had to stay home and avoid gatherings. It’s been different for doctors and volunteers, paramedics, nurses, sterilisation teams, all are heroes,” she said.
“If you know someone who works in the healthcare sector, call them and thank them for their efforts".
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, met emergency service workers who were on duty on the first day of Eid.
He spoke to police officers and bicycle patrol volunteers at Al Qusais police station.
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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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