ABU DHABI // Health insurance companies have been urged to cover the cost of tests for sexually transmitted diseases to reduce the spread of infection and the potentially dangerous consequences of untreated conditions.
The expense is putting some people off seeking medical help, said Nazura Siddiqi, a gynaecologist at LifeLine Hospital in Mussaffah.
“STDs are not covered by any insurance, either for detection or treatment, even if you have a problem,” she said. “This means that if your doctor thinks you have a herpes infection, you have to pay the cost of the herpes diagnostic test.”
A herpes test costs about Dh400, and treatment for any STD can be expensive.
“It is difficult for some,” Dr Siddiqi said.
“The cost is a prohibitory factor. A lot of them do not want to do the tests as advised by their physicians.”
This can be especially true for the lower paid, who can be more at risk of STDs because of a lack of awareness and education.
“I think STDs should be treated like any other disease and should be covered,” she said.
STDs can have serious consequences beyond the immediate impact of the infection itself, such as mother-to-child transmission of infections and chronic diseases.
“If left untreated, it has huge implications because it can be transmitted to other people,” she said. “They also have long-standing implications.”
Diseases such as gonorrhoea can lead to chronic pelvic infections and infertility due to tubal blockage, Dr Siddiqi said. “Diseases like gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV can all be transmitted to the foetus during pregnancy and lead to foetal malformations and foetal infection.
“Some, like syphilis, affect the whole body including the brain, and some, such as HIV, can even cause death.”
Dr Fady Hachem, a consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said it was important to have basic insurance to cover tests.
“The price of each test is approximately Dh350 and it depends on the test – it could reach up to almost Dh4,000 if we request all the tests be taken.”
Medication was also expensive and many people could not afford the treatment, he said. Sometimes patients neglect to be checked because of the cost.
“Screening is very important, the problem is the cost. Sometimes the patients have mild symptoms and don’t take the issue into consideration. Sometimes the symptoms are severe, they know they have an STD.”
In many cases, however, no signs or symptoms occur. Those without symptoms could end up being carriers, Dr Hachem said.
The Health Authority Abu Dhabi was unable to provide local statistics, but the World Health Organisation says an estimated 500 million people a year worldwide become ill with one of four sexually transmitted infections: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis or trichomoniasis.
The diseases are spread mainly through sexual contact but some infections can spread through skin contact, sharing razors, sharing needles while injecting drugs and through contact with the blood of anyone infected.
Most diseases can be cured or contained with medication.
Daman, the main health insurer in Abu Dhabi, declined to comment.
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The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
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
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7pm: Flood Zone
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MO
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
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Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
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Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
On sale: now
The%20specs
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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