ABU DHABI // In crowded waiting rooms, patients jostle for a seat or a standing space as the long wait to see a doctor begins.
Behind the reception desk of the paediatric department at the New Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, hospital staff are juggling a constant stream of parents arriving with their sick children to see a doctor, telephone calls and general administration work.
The paediatric department is one of the busiest at the hospital, particularly during the peak hours between 5pm and 7pm.
Tarek al Sawaei, a UAE national, 29, arrived with her sick daughter as a walk-in patient.
"We have been waiting for an hour and a half. We actually had to leave to do some other chores, and then came back again, because the line was moving so slowly," she said.
It is uncertain what the 10-month-old is suffering from. She's been crying a lot, and has cold symptoms.
"The doctors here are very good,'' she said. "You need an appointment if you don't want to wait too long. But it is not always an option to make an appointment, because you don't know when your child is going to get sick. With the current situation, you need to make an appointment almost two days in advance if you don't want to stay here for too long, which is not always realistic.
"The situation has gotten worse after they introduced Daman insurance, I think."
Another parent waiting is Ellen Fahimno, 42, who has been sitting patiently with her son Jason, age six, for an hour.
"I've been coming to this hospital since my son was one year old,'' she said, "and I've never tried another hospital because I trust the doctors here. The only problem is the wait."
Boopathy Arumugam, 36, an engineer, walked in for an appointment for his daughter, who is five years old.
"I have been waiting for more than an hour and a half,'' he said. "My daughter has a throat infection. It is very difficult when you're a walk-in patient and when you are with children who need to get treated, it is so difficult to wait this long with them."
Nuha Mahmoud is a secretary from Sudan. Her son Waleed is five years old. She said: "I've been waiting with my son for an hour now. Just waiting. My son is suffering from a lung problem and he is also a special-needs child and needs special attention. But we have to wait like everyone else.
"The last time I came because I had a bad cough and needed to get checked up and get medication. I waited for three hours. It was only when I went to complain and made a fuss that they ushered me in to see a doctor and let me cut the line.
"In the past, we didn't have to wait this long. When we first came to the country almost 10 years ago, you could see a doctor within 15 minutes. Now, even when you are told there is 'no wait', that still means you have to sit in the waiting area for an hour."
Similar scenes are often found nightly at the hospital's waiting room to see general doctors, with standing room only for patients.
The busiest days at the nearby Lifeline Hospital are the weekend, especially Saturday evenings.
Almost half of the walk-in patients have to leave and come back another day or seek treatment somewhere else because they cannot be accommodated, given the number of appointments and large number of walk-in patients.
After 8pm, the hospital has a policy of "no walk-in patients".
The gynaecology department is one where appointments are needed most. Patients must get an appointment at least two days in advance if they want to avoid waiting for so long.
Internal medicine is the second busiest department, followed by orthopaedics.
At five months pregnant, Umm Mohammed has been waiting for two hours to see a specialist surgeon. This is her first visit to Lifeline Hospital. She used to use Corniche Hospital, but says the wait over there is even worse than in private hospitals.
"In the Corniche hospital, if you are a walk-in patient, and walk in at 1pm, you would be lucky if you saw a doctor that same day. And even if you do have an appointment at say, 11 in the morning, they make you wait for two hours sometimes."
Anne Mooney, from the UK, said she was normally fitted in within two hours of arriving.
"Compared to the UK hospitals, this is nothing really. I'd take the wait here over the UK anytime."
For Sheela Nahas, 36, her quest to see a doctor was turning into a four-hour wait.
"I called the hospital to ask them if it was OK for me to come in as a walk-in patient and they said it was OK, but until now I am still waiting and I don't know when I will see the doctor.
"I think the problem is that I am a walk-in patient, and it is difficult to find a good gynecologist in the country. I live in Musaffah and there is no specialist dealing with female health issues next to where I live. I have to see the doctor today. I am in pain, but I am not going anywhere, even if I am here until 1am. There is no other option."
talramahi@thenational.ae
munderwood@thenational.ae
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
Ronaldo's record at Man Utd
Seasons 2003/04 - 2008/09
Appearances 230
Goals 115
MATCH INFO
Kolkata Knight Riders 245/6 (20 ovs)
Kings XI Punjab 214/8 (20 ovs)
Kolkata won by 31 runs
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0