A major Abu Dhabi healthcare provider has begun treating some Covid-19 patients at home in an effort to ease the strain on medical facilities during the pandemic.
Mubadala Healthcare is caring for hundreds of people who are asymptomatic or have milder symptoms through telemedicine and home visits through its Remote Care application.
The app has enrolled more than 1,500 patients since it was launched four weeks ago in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Centre for Public Health, and is ramping up capacity to reach 2,000 more in the coming weeks.
Dr Shereena Al Mazrouei, of ADPHC, called it "a proactive step" that is "part of a longer-term sustainable strategy to ensure that we have the capacity available at any given time to provide the essential care that our citizens and residents may need".
Mubadala Healthcare began discharging asymptomatic and milder cases four weeks ago from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and other public and private hospitals in Abu Dhabi to receive care at home.
The programme can be extended to confirmed positive cases in other hospitals who have been evaluated and referred by the healthcare authorities, according to Mubadala.
The initiative "enables Covid-19 patients who meet rigorous home isolation criteria and are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms to be monitored and have access to a healthcare team around the clock, while recovering in the comfort of their homes”, Dr Al Mazrouei said.
A patient that receives a positive Covid-19 test will be contacted to receive a medical assessment to determine if they qualify for the remote care scheme.
If so, they will be assigned a case manager to co-ordinate their care and ensure that their current healthcare needs are being met. The home care plan includes virtual or home visits from nurses or physicians, and lab tests as required.
The service is being provided by Abu Dhabi Telemedicine Centre (ADTC) and Amana Healthcare, a UAE health services company acquired by Mubadala Healthcare in January.
"Each patient receives teleconsultations by a Mubadala Healthcare caregiver and will is monitored through the Department of Health’s remote healthcare digital platform," Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, senior vice president at Mubadala Healthcare, said.
"This ensures patients follow the necessary isolation measures to keep other members of the family safe."
He added that the programme is expected "to immediately free up hospital beds for those requiring more intensive levels of care.”
Telemedicine has transitioned from a niche healthcare service to a critical lifeline as the world confronts the coronavirus.
Individuals seeking advice on Covid-19, or who are avoiding health facilities amid the pandemic and need access to care for other reasons, have flocked to digital consultations with public health ministries, hospitals, pharmacies and clinics all taking part.
In the UAE, these consultations are increasingly being covered by insurance providers, becoming a more affordable and convenient option.
Among other steps, Mubadala Healthcare has already established on-site and drive-through screening centres at its facilities, increased laboratory testing capacity for Covid-19, expanded telemedicine services across its facilities and activated its pharmaceutical delivery.
“We will continue to seek ways in which we can leverage our considerable expertise to support the government and UAE to overcome the current Covid-19 challenges wherever possible,” Mr Al Nowais said.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
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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
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Fines for littering
In Dubai:
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
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
