One-year-old Maryam Atia recovering from a free heart surgery received through the Dubai Health Authority's Nabadat humanitarian initiative at Dubai Hospital. Christopher Pike / The National
One-year-old Maryam Atia recovering from a free heart surgery received through the Dubai Health Authority's Nabadat humanitarian initiative at Dubai Hospital. Christopher Pike / The National

Free repair for broken hearts, thanks to UAE initiative



DUBAI // In a room filled with doctors, visitors and a bunch of red balloons, each shaped like a heart, three-year-old James Edwards wandered through the melee, his eyes set firmly on the heart-shaped cake sitting against one wall.

After successful open-heart surgery on January 26, the brown-eyed, British-Portuguese toddler was more than welcome to the treat, said his mother, Maria, who is from Portugal.

James was one of 21 patients, from babies to teenagers, who last month received free heart surgery through the Nabadat initiative.

Created by Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Charity and Humanitarian Establishment, it offers treatment to Emiratis, expatriates and foreigners who either cannot afford it, or do not have the treatment readily available.

More than half the patients treated this year, who came from all over the world including Yemen, Algeria and Afghanistan, underwent open-heart surgery after being recommended to Nabadat by their cardiologists. The remainder were treated for defects between ventricles or obstructions in their valves.

Almost half of all the patients treated last month were Emirati.

Through Nabadat, which means heartbeat, the financial burden of the costly operation was taken care of, said Mrs Edwards, who has lived in Dubai with her family of five for five years.

Although the cost of treatment was the least of the family's worries, having someone else take care of it allowed them to concentrate all their efforts on James, who was born with a hole in his heart.

"It costs Dh360,000, but it's not about the money," Mrs Edwards said.

Being treated by a team of world-class doctors and in a local hospital both reduced the amount of travelling James had to do and kept his family nearby. The toddler also underwent surgery to correct the position of two arteries.

The operations are carried out by cardiologists from DHA hospitals (Dubai, Rashid and Latifa) as well as visiting doctors from San Donato Hospital, in Milan, Italy. "We did not want to take him away from his family, so it was about logistics," said James's mother. "The trauma of being away from his [older] brother for a whole week" was another issue.

Since its launch in 2007, Nabadat has treated more than 300 patients. The operations that took place last week were all successful, said Dr Abdallah Raweh, the president of the Italian-Emirates Friendship Association and one of the visiting cardiologists.

Given the demand for help, Nabadat has plans to take its services farther afield, travelling to countries such as Egypt and Cameroon in the near future.

"Every year we see about 100 children and we try to treat as many as possible. Now ... one of the aims is to become more international and go across the border," said Dr Obaid Al Jassim, a consultant cardiac surgeon and head of the cardiothoracic surgery department at Dubai Hospital, where all the recent surgeries took place.

"We've been doing these types of workshops for the children in the UAE and the children who are coming by themselves. We have so many demands so we thought now [was the time] to go international."

Countries that Nabadat are in negotiations with to support include Sudan, Yemen, Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, Dr Al Jassim said. The first international mission is expected to take place in April.

James was alert and attempting to speak just a few hours after his surgery, admittedly when asked by his parents whether he wanted any peanuts.

Now, eight days after surgery, the operation has noticeably improved his energy levels.

Discharged yesterday, after he got a celebratory piece of cake, James and his family expressed their thanks to the doctors who helped them.

"We have been so grateful. They didn't spare anything at all to make us feel comfortable, which was really important," his mother said.

A workshop will take place in Dubai in June. Anyone wishing to make enquiries can contact Dubai Hospital on 04 219 5000.

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Rating: 4.5/5

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

What is double taxation?
  • Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
  • Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
  • The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
  • Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
UAE squad to face Ireland

Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind

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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Ticket prices
  • Golden circle - Dh995
  • Floor Standing - Dh495
  • Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
  • Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
  • Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
  • Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
  • Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
  • Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier

The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier

Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets

Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs

Table

1 UAE 5 5 0 10

2 Qatar 5 4 1 8

3 Saudi 5 3 2 6

4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4

5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2

6 Maldives 5 0 5 0

T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER

Results

UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets

Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs

Friday fixtures

10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey

7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman