President Sheikh Mohamed says the UAE will continue to make a telling contribution to the eradication of diseases worldwide. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
President Sheikh Mohamed says the UAE will continue to make a telling contribution to the eradication of diseases worldwide. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
President Sheikh Mohamed says the UAE will continue to make a telling contribution to the eradication of diseases worldwide. Photo: UAE Presidential Court
President Sheikh Mohamed says the UAE will continue to make a telling contribution to the eradication of diseases worldwide. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

World Health Day: President Sheikh Mohamed says UAE to focus on providing best care


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President Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE's focus is on developing and strengthening its health care system to provide the best care in the world.

In a message on World Health Day, he said the country will continue to invest in research and innovation to eradicate preventable diseases in the UAE and around the world.

"On World Health Day, we renew our commitment to strengthening health care systems and preserving the well-being and dignity of people in the UAE and around the world," the President wrote on X.

"Through fostering local and international partnerships, continued investment in research and innovation, and intensified efforts to eradicate preventable diseases, we aim to contribute to improved health for all."

This year's World Health Day is themed My Health, My Right, which calls on nations to enact laws that ensure access to health services.

The UAE, in particular, has been at the forefront of eradicating tropical diseases.

Since 2010, the UAE has donated more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the fight against preventable tropical diseases such as Guinea worm.

It is a supporter of the Carter Centre, an organisation founded by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, that fights tropical diseases.

At the beginning of 2021, Sheikh Mohamed pledged to give $10 million to the centre to mark the 30th anniversary of its partnership with the UAE.

One of Sheikh Mohamed's biggest contributions to combating tropical diseases was setting up the Reaching the Last Mile Fund in 2017. The decade-long, $100 million initiative seeks to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in African countries.

In December last year, during the Cop28 climate summit held in Dubai, the fund joined forces with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to announce a milestone expansion of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund to $500 million to eliminate two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) from Africa.

The UAE committed a further $100 million to the fund created to fight the diseases of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, commonly known as elephantiasis, that causes painful swelling of limbs. This was matched by the Gates Foundation, with hundreds of millions more from donor nations.

In total, donors pledged more than $777 million to defeat NTDs and improve the lives of 1.6 billion people.

Abaya trends

The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.

Name: Colm McLoughlin

Country: Galway, Ireland

Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free

Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club

Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETamer%20Ruggli%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENadine%20Labaki%2C%20Fanny%20Ardant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

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.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Letswork%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Almheiri%2C%20Hamza%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20co-working%20spaces%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.1%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20with%20investors%20including%20500%20Global%2C%20The%20Space%2C%20DTEC%20Ventures%20and%20other%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

The biog

Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.

Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella

Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Updated: April 07, 2024, 8:24 AM`