Wheelchair users in the UAE need to be aware of the significant cost of the equipment and not take them for granted, medical staff have said.
Doctors said the attitude of some disabled patients was overly demanding, with many insisting on the latest models even if unsuitable to their needs.
Under the Emirate’s healthcare insurance system, wheelchairs are issued to those who require them free of charge.
But experts said some users had a tendency to treat them like cars, always demanding the latest model despite their substantial cost.
The call comes after it was revealed that hospitals in Abu Dhabi are handing out prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs worth millions of dirhams to patients every month as they tackle increasingly complex medical needs.
“Patients assume that wheelchairs are like brand new cars,” said Dr Rida Baruni, a medic from Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), a leading healthcare provider in Abu Dhabi.
“They continue to argue with us and demand the latest model, style and colour. There needs to be more awareness.”
SKMC issues up to 50 new wheelchairs and 15 artificial limbs to patients every month.
Although exact figures are unavailable, it is understood the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention spends millions of dirhams a year in funding for patients with disabilities.
Authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi have also worked hard to improve access to public transport and leisure facilities such as cinemas for wheelchair users.
Under the Thiqa insurance scheme, the UAE’s health insurance programme for Emiratis, wheelchair users can have the cost of their equipment paid for.
SKMC said it issues up to 50 new wheelchairs and 15 prosthetic limbs per month. In some cases, the wheelchairs cost more than Dh100,000 each.
Speaking to The National, Dr Baruni, Chair of the Department for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at SKMC, said he wanted some patients to be more aware of the cost of their wheelchairs.
He also stressed that the equipment could only been issued once medics had identified the best possible model for the patient concerned.
“What I say to my team is please remind patients that when you go to see a cardiologist and they give you a prescription, you don’t debate what medication you want or what dose.
“It is exactly the same case here. It’s not about giving the patient any device, it’s about knowing what their needs are clinically and how they will be able to use it.
“It also depends on the age and lifestyle of the patient. If he needs a wheelchair to go to and from the mosque then they don’t need something as sophisticated patients who, for instance, wants to play volleyball.
“So the assessment is also about whether (the patient) has the cognitive ability and insight to operate such a device, be it a machine or an artificial leg.
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“We go into a lot details and is why I emphasise the point that this is a medical prescription.
“If we are talking about a basic wheelchair the cost could be around Dh5,000 but a more sophisticated customised wheelchair could cost more than Dh100,000.
“It is a very dynamic process that involves a lot of clinical knowledge, background and ability to communicate well with the clients.”
Dr Baruni revealed the SKMC currently saw hundreds of patients a month who needed specialist equipment to assist with their mobility.
A high number suffer from diabetes, with research this year suggesting that nearly one if five people living in the UAE have the disease.
“But we see a variety of patients including those with spinal cord injuries, genetic diseases, multiple sclerosis and so on,” said Dr Baruni.
He added: “The government is very generous in making these devices readily available to the people.
“Durable medical equipment and rehab technology is very expensive and adds to the huge costs of healthcare.”
But patients say that despite putting in requests for wheelchairs, they can often wait months for them to arrive.
Reem, 24, an Emirati student with spina bifida, a condition of the spine that means she can’t move her legs, said she had to wait for a year to get a wheelchair.
"Waiting for a year for a wheelchair was a nightmare but while I'm grateful that I have one now. It is too bulky and heavy. I need a lighter one to fold up into the car and reassemble."
While the Emirati insurance scheme Thiqa covers wheelchairs and Emiratis are eligible to replace them every two to three years, wheelchair lifts and boot hoists are not covered.
"It is very difficult to carry it into and out of the car. My parents had to carry me first and then the wheelchair."
Meanwhile, Musaed Al Mansoori, 25, who was paralysed from the hip down after contracting polio, is expecting a new model next month. He has had his current chair for three years and said it is worn down.
"I don't care about it being electric or the latest model. My wheelchair is a basic manual one and it is perfect because it is light and small so I can fit it in my car. It is hard to fit an electric wheelchair in a small car."
Dr Baruni said: “We dealt with that and haven’t had complaints on time of delivery as of late because we worked hard and refined our processes and worked with our approved vendors. We spoke to these vendors and told them that we could not have a waiting of six months or even three months,” Dr Baruni said.
"We used to get several complaints per week and now we don’t get that. Most of the complaints we get now are from patients demanding a certain colour or specifications.”
There currently is no process of recycling these medical devices. “We ask our patients to donate them and in some instances people will just drop it off at the hospital but we don’t encourage that because it causes a problem with storage.”
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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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
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
More about Middle East geopolitics
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Fixtures:
Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final
Table:
1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10
2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8
3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6
4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4
5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
