RAS AL KHAIMAH // Despite residents’ concerns, the Government has been channelling money and offering solutions to problems in healthcare provision in the Northern Emirates.
In February, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced a Dh7 billion budget for projects in the north, including the building of health centres.
This week, an announcement to expand a project to bring home services to elderly people and those with mobility issues was made by the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
The mobile clinic services, which were previously limited to only nursing, will be provided in remote areas of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah and will now include medical care, rehabilitation, natural treatments and prevention measures.
Three mobile clinics are already operational in Fujairah, while another will start providing services in RAK after Eid.
There has also been improvements in ambulance response times in the Northern Emirates.
In February, The National reported that times had been cut by more than half since services there began two years ago.
In that time, National Ambulance handled 89,000 calls to its dedicated northern hotline and sent its 50 ambulances out tens of thousands of times.
When the service began operations on February 24, 2014, the average response time in the Northern Emirates was 18 minutes and 12 seconds. That has been reduced to eight minutes and 56 seconds.
“Our performance is comparable with leading ambulance services in other countries,” said Robert Ball, chief executive of National Ambulance. “In the UK they reach 75 per cent of their calls within eight minutes, while we are reaching 90 per cent of our calls within eight minutes.”
National Ambulance also stages mass casualty drills to help emergency workers prepare for real large-scale accidents or events, in collaboration with civil defence and police.
“These mass casualty drills are done so we can respond to emergencies in the best way possible and we can get to scenes of emergencies really rapidly,” said Ahmed Al Hajeri, National Ambulance deputy chief executive.
“We do this across the Northern Emirates regularly. They are designed to simulate some mass incident.
“This can be anything from a three-car pile-up or a bus full of workers to a large-scale industrial accident.”
National Ambulance this month also launched an app for mobile phones, through which residents in the Northern Emirates can request an ambulance in emergencies.
The ambulance can be dispatched immediately to their destination through GPS tracking on the 998 App.
The app has a first-aid guide in Arabic and English that provides tips on how to respond to a variety of emergency health-related scenarios.
Mr Al Hajeri said: “By launching the 998 App, we are building on the success of the 998 number by providing an additional source of support to the community in times of most need.
“By utilising the technology, we can reduce the time it takes to respond to emergencies.”
However, when it came to attracting and retaining medical professionals, one Fujairah hospital admitted that it was difficult to compete with Dubai and Abu Dhabi in terms of salaries and lifestyle options.
Ahmad Al Hafiti, deputy chief executive of Al Sharq Hospital, said in February: “We face a problem with assigning doctors to work in Fujairah because most of them prefer to work in Dubai or Abu Dhabi for higher salaries, therefore you can’t find all the specialties in the area.”
Mr Al Hafiti spoke after Federal National Council members questioned the Minister of Health and Prevention, Abdul Rahman Al Owais, about shortfalls in the healthcare system in the Northern Emirates.
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Read more:
› Sharjah residents worried about losing loved ones on commutes to hospitals
› Lack of doctors in A&E causes concern for Ajman residents
› Umm Al Quwain hospital struggles to hold on to its doctors
› Fujairah resident: 'I feel helpless if a family member gets ill'
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m; Winner: AF Al Baher, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,600m; Winner: Talento Puma, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,950m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Listed (TB) Dh500,000 1,950m; Winner: Mark Of Approval, Patrick Cosgrave, Mahmood Hussain.
4pm: Conditions (TB) Dh125,000 1,400m; Winner: Dead-heat Raakez, Jim Crowley, Nicholas Bachalard/Attribution, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Jebel Ali Sprint (TB) Dh500,000 1,000m; Winner: AlKaraama, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m; Winner: Cachao, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
