Tag Archives: opinion
Shaikh Mohammed writes to Bahraini Crown Prince
Shaikh Mohammed writes to Bahraini Crown Prince (Wam) / 31 January 2014 The letter was delivered by UAE Ambassador to Bahrain Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi when he met Prince Salaman on Thursday at Al Rifaa Palace in Manama. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has sent a letter to Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain, dealing with bilateral relations. The letter was delivered by UAE Ambassador to Bahrain Mohammed Sultan Al Suwaidi when he met Prince Salaman on Thursday at Al Rifaa Palace in Manama. Prince Salman said he was proud with the strong fraternal ties between the two countries. He lauded the role played by the UAE in supporting the progress of the GCC and the Arab joint action. He asked the UAE Ambassador to pass on his greetings to Shaikh Mohammed and his wishes of further progress and prosperity to the people of the UAE. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Syrian sides break ice in peace talks
Syrian sides break ice in peace talks (Reuters) / 31 January 2014 Opposing sides in Syria’s civil war stand together to observe a minute of silence at talks in Geneva. Opposing sides in Syria’s civil war stood together to observe a minute of silence on Thursday in honour of the tens of thousands killed in the three-year conflict, a rare symbol of harmony a week into peace talks that have so fare yielded no compromise. The first talks between President Bashar Al Assad’s government and his foes have been mired in rhetoric since they began last Friday. The two sides took a first tentative step forward on Wednesday by agreeing to use the same 2012 roadmap as the basis of discussions to end the civil war, although they disagreed about how talks should proceed. UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said on Wednesday he does not expect to achieve anything substantive in the first round which ends on Friday, but hopes for more progress in a second round starting about a week later. Opposition delegate Ahmad Jakal said his delegation’s head, Hadi Al Bahra, proposed the minute of silence and all sides stood up, including Assad’s delegation and Brahimi’s team. “All stood up for the souls of the martyrs. Symbolically it was good,” Jakal said. Diplomats said there had been no progress on humanitarian issues and that a UN aid convoy has been waiting fruitlessly to enter the rebel-held Old City of Homs, where the United States says civilians are starving. If there is no breakthrough on Homs this week, it would give the opposition delegation, mostly comprised of exiles, little to show for their decision to participate. Other factions with more power on the ground in Syria are opposed to the talks. The 2012 plan sets out stages to end the conflict, including a halt to fighting, delivery of aid and agreement on setting up a transitional government body by mutual consent. US and Russian officials, co-sponsors of the conference, are in Geneva advising the opposition and Syrian government delegations, their respective allies. Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Mekdad, one of the most influential players, was meeting with Russian officials later in the day in Geneva, diplomatic sources said. While the opposition wants to start by addressing the question of the transitional governing body, the government says the first step is to discuss terrorism. Damscus uses the word “terrorist” to describe all rebel fighters. There was still no sign of a breakthrough in attempts to relieve the suffering of thousands of besieged residents of the rebel-held Old City of Homs. UN trucks must be able to enter besieged areas with security guarantees and the distribution of goods must be carried out in a safe way for the beneficiaries, he said. “The UN convoys are ready, we are waiting for clearances so we can provide this aid in a secure manner,” Jens Laerke, spokesman of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said on Thursday. Syria’s biggest city Aleppo took some of the heaviest aerial bombardment of the conflict in the past week, including the dropping of indiscriminate “barrel bombs” – crude drums of high explosives tossed from helicopters – that killed and wounded dozens, opposition delegate Ahmed Ramadan told Reuters. New York based watchdog Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that the Syrian authorities had flattened seven residential districts for no apparent military objective other than to punish civilians living among rebels who had already fled. For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
Rehabilitation of patients is important: Haya
Rehabilitation of patients is important: Haya Asma Ali Zain / 31 January 2014 Princess Haya says all the hard work on getting a patient over an acute injury is almost wasted if the patient is not rehabilitated and integrated back into society. A needs assessment should be conducted before establishing specialised centres in the country said Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Princess Haya among the delegates at the Leaders Healthcare session at the Arab Health 2014 in Dubai on Thursday. — KT photos by Grace Guino She was addressing the session on Leaders Healthcare on the concluding day of Arab Health 2014, on Thursday. Princess Haya said healthcare professionals, doctors and nurses have become so much specialised in certain areas that they have neglected the basics of general care. “One of the areas most neglected is rehabilitation. Patients often receive excellent and acute care but limited rehabilitation … all that hardwork, getting a patient over an acute injury is almost wasted if the patient is not rehabilitated and integrated back into society where they can live a normal life and contribute to the country,” she added. “We have made significant advances in healthcare since last we met. The Al Jalila Foundation, a non-profit organisation launched in 2013, is mandating the UAE as a centre of excellence and research. Additionally, the groundwork for specialisation in healthcare has more than strategically paved by the new Insurance Law which comes into force in Dubai this year and will provide healthcare cover for all our residents,” she said. “We continue to produce standards of specialist nurses and soon will establish the University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the University Hospital at Dubai Healthcare City.” Also, this month, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid chaired a session to boost healthcare and education. They endorsed cancer and early detection programmes, a national database for all medical records and certain measures tackling obesity and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, she added. “Before we set up a system, we must understand the advantages and disadvantages of specialisation. So, how do we get better outcomes at reduced costs? First is by specialisation. By building speciality hospitals, healthcare workers are exposed to a large number of patients with the illness in question which otherwise will rarely be seen by these individuals. With the increased numbers of treatments comes the early recognition and signs and symptoms, institutions of treatment, better timed diagnostics and interventions for improved outcomes. “Furthermore by allowing physicians to share in efficiency gains through ownership, speciality hospitals may create more powerful incentives to achieve other costs and quality improvements. So how do we fare in the UAE with regard to specialist hospitals? Most hospitals in the region, especially in the UAE were established as general hospitals that have been changed for a particular specialty over time, she said in her speech. “In order to succeed, we must conduct a proper needs assessment for our population that will identify the most prevalent incidences of diseases among our population allowing us to concentrate on resources and establishing well designed, well-staffed and well-equipped specialised centres such as was the intention of the Al Jalila Speciality Hospital.” No project should be allowed without a detailed assessment so as not to waste our precious resources.” “We must realise that there will be diseases that are too rare for us to treat on our own. We will require local and at times international help to deliver the best possible care.” “We must not dilute our expertise by establishing competing facilities when the demand is low as this will reduce expertise.” Another challenge for our region is identifying how many specialised centres are required to serve our small populations, she added. “We must work together to limit sense expansion that dilutes our expertise.” asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com For more news from Khaleej Times, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes , and on Twitter at @khaleejtimes Continue reading
