After Abdulrafeeque Thanintekeezhil tested positive for Covid-19, he said his first thought was “how do I pay for hospital bills with a Dh800 monthly salary?”
The Indian delivery driver was soon made aware that low-income workers like him who live in labour accommodation are being given UAE government-sponsored care.
These include drivers, security guards and labourers who share rooms with multiple roommates, in some cases 10 men in one room, making self-isolation impossible.
Mr Abdul, 36, who lives in labour accommodation in Mussaffah with nine roommates, was taken to Mafraq Hospital on April 28 after he complained of a fever, headache, body pain and cough.
I don't think we would've got this high level support back home, so we are lucky
"I was really worried at first when the symptoms started because I was having very bad body pain and had a high blood pressure," he told The National. "But we were taken to a nice hospital where we got good food, medicine and medical staff that looked after us."
Mr Thanintekeezhil refrained from telling his family back home, in the Indian state of Kerala, about his illness as he did not want to worry them.
It was only when he defeated the virus on May 5 that he made a call to his wife and two children, aged 4 to 6.
“I don’t think we would’ve got this high level support back home, so we are lucky. If it wasn’t free, it would’ve been impossible for any of us to pay. How can we pay for hospital treatments with our kind of salaries?” he said.
As of May 7, the UAE had 16,249 coronavirus cases, 213 deaths and 3,572 recoveries.
Covid-19 screenings have been made available for blue-collar workers free of charge.
The UAE’s largest screening site, with a capacity to test 10,000 a day, recently opened in Abu Dhabi’s Mussaffah – an industrial district that is packed with labour accommodation.
Once a worker is tested positive, him and his roommates are separated and put into isolation in a government-approved facility.
For symptomatic patients who require hospital care, they are admitted into hospital isolation wards where they receive care.
Matthew, whose name was changed on request, is a 31-year-old Ugandan hospital porter. He has been working on the front lines as he moves around Covid-19 patients.
He shares living space with nine others at a worker's camp in Mussaffah and, after testing positive for the virus, was initially moved to isolation by his company.
He said his employer went on to place four others in the same isolation room as him. He said he was not given any soap or towels and was given just hot water for breakfast.
It was not until the government stepped in and moved the patients to Al Mafraq Hospital for proper care that Matthew felt at ease.
“The company isolation was very disturbing,” he said. “I was concerned because I didn’t see the company people worrying about us. When I was in isolation, I was worried I would get sick there and did not have good care.
“But when I got to Mafraq, the doctor told me it would be fine, I had to be calm, keep safe and that they could give us food. The good thing is the doctors assured me I would recover. That’s how I managed.”
He was then transferred to isolation at UAE University in Al Ain. He had his second negative test on April 30 and wants to return to work, but can only do so after spending 14 days in mandatory isolation.
Ismail Bwayo, 27, is another Ugandan living in labour accommodation in Mussafah. He tested positive on April 9 and was moved to Mafraq Hospital.
“I had a cough, headache and a flu. It was worrying mostly because I know there is no cure, but it was a privilege that we were able to receive such good care as I know it won’t be the same case in other many other countries,” said Mr Bwayo, who works as a security guard at Emirates Palace.
He lives with eight other people and believes he contracted the virus from one of them.
Like the others, Mr Bwayo did not tell his parents he had caught the virus.
“It could have caused them to panic,” he said. “I know that the government here would help us, so I only told them after I got better.”
While cost-free care is given to the needy in the UAE, it is not the same case in other parts of the world.
People in the United States, which has the highest number of cases globally, have limited access to screenings, according to a New York Times report on April 15.
Those who are uninsured and have tested positive face hefty medical bills.
In the UAE, testing is free of cost for people with existing medical conditions, the elderly, pregnant women and those displaying symptoms of the virus. For the rest, the cost is Dh370.
If the person tests positive, the UAE has instructed hospitals that insurance firms will “honour claims received”.
The government will bear the costs for patients who are uninsured.
ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
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.
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
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
![“Testing campaign and sanitisation [are] to be conducted in gradual phases, and in coordination with targeted blocks,” said the Abu Dhabi Media Office.](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/X6KPEV2OECRQSFKWWPBB7JDE2Q.jpg?smart=true&auth=784e8c30d4dcadd77576aec34a6545824c0a273ed4b3b17ba633f5966b213a8a&width=800&height=450)
