When Philip Horniblow arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1966, the task must have seemed immense.
As the first director of health, it was his job to build a network of hospitals from a blank slate.
His father went to school with TE Lawrence and some of the man’s spark kindled an interest in the region for the young Philip.
“The whole region was quite magical,” he once said of Arabia. But there was little romantic or magical about the task ahead.
Born in 1928 in the UK, Horniblow joined the Parachute Regiment after the Second World War before training as a doctor. But permanent life in the UK was not his fate.
This calling took him across the Middle East during the twilight of British presence in region. By 1966, he was in Abu Dhabi. The role could not have been more urgent. The first oil shipments left in 1962 and revenues were flooding in. But healthcare had yet to see substantive improvement.
There were no doctors, nurses or barely any trained staff. Child mortality was high, malaria and tuberculosis were rife, while even a small wound could lead to serious illness.
When Sheikh Zayed took over as Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, up sprang hospitals, doctors were recruited and modern healthcare was introduced. Horniblow was part of this wave from 1966 to around 1970 as the first director of Abu Dhabi’s health service.
"One of his first challenges was to remove people with fake credentials and deal with what Horniblow described as 'colonial retreads'," Athol Yates, a professor at Khalifa University, who has written widely on this period, told The National.
“They had been colonialists in India before partition and Sudan. By the late 60s, some of these expatriates were set in their ways and were not suitable so he had to embark on a recruitment drive.”
But this brought a further set of challenges. Horniblow learned not to rely on written “references” and to doublecheck impressive-sounding qualifications. Another issue was ensuring people trusted the health service as there was an inclination to go abroad for expensive treatment.
He chronicled the immense task in his 2003 memoir, Oil, Sand and Politics and recounted how when Sheikh Zayed cut his foot on coral – which can have dangerous consequences – he deliberately sought out the local service to show confidence in it.
Horniblow, who brought the first X-ray machines to Abu Dhabi, also oversaw a study that found malaria could travel between Abu Dhabi and Dubai because mosquitoes could breed in dew that persisted in wheel rims. There were also failures.
Horniblow recounted the pattern of some to forge vaccination certificates to travel abroad and resist quarantine measures.
“His book is one of the best – he doesn’t glamourise the situation,” said Prof Yates.
“It links official history to the day-to-day challenges to the expatriates who ranged from honorable to misfits and everything in between. It is a real feeling of what it was like at the time. That is really unique.”
Horniblow was also the medical officer who flew with an Abu Dhabi Defence Forces humanitarian mission to Jordan in 1970 at the beginning of the conflict there. During his thirty-year spell in Middle East, he also served in Yemen and met the Bin Laden family of Saudi Arabia.
He was also a keen mountaineer and was a doctor on several expeditions to Everest.
By the time Horniblow was 50 he moved back to the UK. There he continued to work in the health services and also dabbled in painting until his death.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Specs
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Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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
Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
BeIN Sports currently has the rights to show
- Champions League
- English Premier League
- Spanish Primera Liga
- Italian, French and Scottish leagues
- Wimbledon and other tennis majors
- Formula One
- Rugby Union - Six Nations and European Cups
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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
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