Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence, on Monday issued directives to grant golden visas to nurses who have served with Dubai Health for more than 15 years.
He said nursing staff are at the forefront of the healthcare system and are essential in building a healthier society. Sheikh Hamdan also praised their dedication to patient care and commitment to the well-being of others, Dubai Media Office reported.
Golden visas are 10-year residency permits given to people who have made an outstanding contribution to the country, have highly prized skills or work in industries that are crucial to economic growth.
The directive came on International Nurses Day, which is observed annually on May 12. Elsewhere in Dubai on Monday, a nursing conference was hosted by the Ministry of Health and Prevention and Emirates Health Services. It addressed the growing problem of attracting new recruits to the profession.
While the number of available nurses has increased from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, the world’s population has grown alongside a demand for care. Analysts forecast nursing access will continue to deteriorate and increased the predicted shortage by 2030 from 10 million to 11 million.
Dr Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organisation’s eastern Mediterranean director, said the region was braced to take on a quarter of the global shortfall by 2030. “Progress is off-track and, without targeted action, nursing workforce gaps will persist beyond 2030, especially in the most vulnerable regions,” she said.
“We face tough realities: deteriorating working conditions, gaps in education and training, weak regulation, deep inequities and the immigration of nurses. To make matters worse, more than 60 per cent of global attacks on health care occur in our region. We urgently need targeted, high-impact and sustainable investments in jobs, education, leadership and service delivery.”
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
