Hello and welcome to Emirati, a monthly newsletter from The National.
While this month's feature may differ from what we usually highlight in the newsletter, it also carries a deeply nostalgic note to me personally and to most Abu Dhabi residents.
We're turning our focus to one of Abu Dhabi’s oldest and most storied institutions: Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, a merger of sorts between what used to be Al Jazeera Hospital and the Abu Dhabi Central Hospital, where generations of Emiratis were born.
Located in the heart of the capital, this area holds countless memories for so many families. We gave birth there, rushed there in moments of emergency, and, for many, said our final goodbyes to loved ones within its walls.
Abu Dhabi Central Hospital, commissioned in 1966 by UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and opened in 1968, was the emirate’s first hospital and remained a symbol of the country’s early commitment to health care until its closure in 2008. Al Jazeera Hospital, established in the mid-1970s, merged with Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in 2005. Over the decades, the complex has undergone many transformations and hosted partnerships, and a 2013 redesign re-envisioned it as a comprehensive medical campus, where Al Jazeera and Central Hospital live on, if only in name and memory.
Today, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is heralding a new era with its partnership with one of the world’s leading paediatric centres, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. We will soon see new faces, new technology and a new standard of care.
Yet, without sounding too sentimental, every time my car approaches the vicinity of the medical complex, I can’t help but see my grandparents and relatives in its walls. I see Abu Dhabi itself, with its veteran doctors and familiar corridors that predate robotic surgery and modern advances. Within those walls, our past and present coexist, quietly and steadfastly – under one roof.
And now, from those same walls that once witnessed our first breaths and, for some, their last, a new chapter begins – one that looks firmly towards the future while holding the spirit of our past. The old and the new.
Thank you for reading,
Top US doctors team up with Abu Dhabi hospital to care for the young
Teams of doctors from one of the top-ranked children's hospitals in the US are already working with counterparts in Abu Dhabi as part of a project to provide the best possible care to families in the UAE.
A collaboration was announced in May between Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital to transform Abu Dhabi into a regional centre of excellence for advanced paediatric medicine, research and training, strengthening the emirate’s position as a global destination for specialised health care.
The first visiting teams – including cardiology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, neurosurgery and oncology – have already begun work on site, performing surgery and joint consultations alongside Emirati physicians.
The co-operation combines SKMC’s clinical experience with Cincinnati Children’s 142 years of expertise and innovation.
“When we evaluate partners, we look first at cultural alignment,” said Dr Daniel von Allmen, regional president of Cincinnati Children’s. “In the UAE we found that alignment immediately with SKMC. The dedication to patient-centred care here mirrors our own.”
Cincinnati Children's was this month named in the top 10 leading hospitals in the US for paediatric care in the latest US News and World Report's Best Hospitals list.
Did you know?
Abu Dhabi in September unveiled plans to invest a further Dh42 billion ($11.44 billion) to improve the quality of life of its citizens as part of its Liveability Strategy. Read more here
Massimo Castellani is one of many to benefit from the surgery in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
Two men who once believed their lives would be defined by loss are walking again after undergoing pioneering bone-implant surgery at Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi.
Massimo Castellani, 50, from Rimini, Italy, and Steven Doolan, 38, from Liverpool in the UK, are among the first international patients to benefit from the 10 Journeys Initiative, a programme launched by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and chairman of Burjeel Holdings.
The scheme is offering 10 free advanced prosthetic operations for amputees who have lost limbs through trauma, accidents or conflict.
Valued at Dh4 million ($1 million), the initiative was unveiled in May 2024, coinciding with the opening of Al Muderis Osseointegration Clinic at Burjeel Medical City, led by renowned orthopaedic surgeon Prof Munjed Al Muderis.
Rahaf Ayyad in May, left, when she received lifesaving treatment, and in October, as she continues her recovery. Ahmed Ramzan for The National; Victor Besa / The National
Two years since the Hamas attacks, which led to the war waged by Israel in Gaza, much has changed for the 3,000 Gazans now living in Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi.
One of the most visible indications of such change is Rahaf Ayyad, 13, who arrived in the UAE in May on an evacuation flight carrying 101 patients accompanied by 87 family members.
She was 12 when she arrived in the Emirates, severely malnourished, and doctors said at the time that “death was inevitable".
After months of suffering, she had lost most of her hair and was unable to walk or lift her arm. She was also suffering from regular seizures. Her face was hollowed out by malnutrition and her teeth were yellow.
Rahaf was treated at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City as soon as she arrived, and since then her cheeks have filled out and her hair, which had fallen out, has grown back. “I can run and play again. I’m happy and soon I’ll see my grandparents,” she said.
The National produces a variety of newsletters across an array of subjects. You can sign up here. To receive The Editor's Briefing, our Editor-in-Chief's weekly newsletter - exclusive to registered readers - that rounds up the top stories of the week, sign up here.
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson. Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph. Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
From exhibitions to the battlefield
In 2016, the Shaded Dome was awarded with the 'De Vernufteling' people's choice award, an annual prize by the Dutch Association of Consulting Engineers and the Royal Netherlands Society of Engineers for the most innovative project by a Dutch engineering firm.
It was assigned by the Dutch Ministry of Defence to modify the Shaded Dome to make it suitable for ballistic protection. Royal HaskoningDHV, one of the companies which designed the dome, is an independent international engineering and project management consultancy, leading the way in sustainable development and innovation.
It is driving positive change through innovation and technology, helping use resources more efficiently.
It aims to minimise the impact on the environment by leading by example in its projects in sustainable development and innovation, to become part of the solution to a more sustainable society now and into the future.
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Name: Thndr Started: 2019 Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr Sector: FinTech Headquarters: Egypt UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi Current number of staff: More than 150 Funds raised: $22 million
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
