Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed praised healthcare workers last week during his virtual Ramadan Majlis and on Twitter, describing them as the embodiment of mercy and compassion.
"As we celebrate World Nurses Day, we salute our front line that faces the pandemic bravely. We pay tribute to them here in the UAE and the world.
“Their role is essential, and the sacrifice is great. They are truly the embodiment of mercy and compassion,” he said.
The English word compassion derives from the Latin compati, meaning to suffer with or suffer together. When we act compassionately we help ease the burdens of other beings.
Healthcare workers around the globe are alleviating the suffering of Covid-19 patients. As a consequence, they too, are suffering, embodying compassion in the original and truest sense of the word.
To understand the risks that healthcare workers and their families face, we only have to glance at the number of Covid-19 infections among them.
Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine estimated healthcare workers may account for up to 30 per cent of all British infections. This is a group that makes up only six per cent of the UK workforce.
In one UK accident and emergency department, at Royal Gwent Hospital in Wales, almost half of employees tested positive for Covid-19. In Spain, as of March 25, there were 47,600 total cases of which 6,500 were in medical staff.
The psychological costs may be just as high and are likely to last long after the pandemic has passed
In short, 13.6 per cent of all cases were from a group that makes up only one per cent of the workforce. Last week, the International Council of Nurses proposed that at least 90,000 healthcare workers worldwide had been infected.
The ICN also suggested the actual figure might be twice as high, given that several nations have not yet reported the relevant data.
The high rate of infection among healthcare workers illustrates only the physical suffering that is being heroically endured.
The psychological costs may be equally high and are likely to last long after the pandemic has passed.
For evidence of this, we can look at the global outbreak in 2002-2004 of Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome). Many researchers have called Sars the first pandemic of the 21st century – some also described it as a “mental health catastrophe”.
Numerous studies point to elevated levels of depression, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse among healthcare workers who treated Sars patients.
The same, of course, was true for patients who survived Sars, even years after full recovery from the virus. Furthermore, a study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reported a link between elevated rates of suicide among Hong Kong's elderly and the Sars outbreak.
Consider that global Sars cases numbered 8,098 with 774 deaths. Covid-19 stands at about 4.7 million cases, with more than 315,000 deaths.
There is a clear and present need for psychological support for healthcare workers, for those directly affected by the Covid-19 and for the public at large.
The UAE pre-emptively responded to this need back in 2016, when it appointed a Minister of State for Happiness.
This appointment underscored the UAE’s commitment to psychological wellness. During the unfolding of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UAE’s National Programme for Happiness and Well-being has launched numerous supportive initiatives, including the national campaign for mental support.
This project mainly involves connecting the general public with mental health specialists and through the innovative use of social media. I am honoured to have been involved in this programme and to have helped in some small way.
There is, however, much more to do if we are to avert a post-pandemic mental health catastrophe.
If compassion makes things better, then cruelty and unkindness make things worse. Unfortunately, the example of our compassionate healthcare workers is not being emulated by all.
Earlier this month, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the coronavirus pandemic was unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering”.
Referencing the rise in pandemic-related hate speech and hate crimes, the UN chief called for actions that “strengthen the immunity of our societies against the virus of hate”.
Last week Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Tolerance, addressed the Prayer for Humanity session. This global initiative was an online meeting of religious leaders coming together to show mutual respect during this global crisis.
If tolerance and compassion towards ourselves and each other will help us through this trying time, it is these same qualities that will help us minimise the psychological after-effects of this pandemic.
Justin Thomas is a professor of psychology at Zayed University
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
