NMC Healthcare and Mediclinic Middle East have agreed to join the Malaffi programme. Razan Alzayani / The National
NMC Healthcare and Mediclinic Middle East have agreed to join the Malaffi programme. Razan Alzayani / The National

Abu Dhabi is giving back to the older generation



The UAE has long understood the importance of its younger residents and – from education to employment initiatives – is dedicated to investing heavily in their futures. They are the doctors, teachers, architects and business leaders of tomorrow. However, older citizens will always be an important part of the country's present. Now, for instance, the growing over-60s age group accounts for 20 per cent of all patients in Abu Dhabi hospitals. In response to this, Seha, the institution that owns and operates public hospitals and clinics in the capital is instituting a new programme to streamline access to medical services, tailored specifically to this demographic.

The body's new strategy, titled Your Health is our Responsibility, is at present focused on two major hospitals: Tawam Hospital in Al Ain and the flagship Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi. However, plans are in place to extend it to other institutions. Under its auspices, patients of 60 years old and over will benefit from a wide range of services, such as at-home treatment, psychological care and priority access to parking and transportation. Hospital representatives will also escort patients to their appointments, and discuss health plans with patients' families, with the help of translators, if need be.

Perhaps most importantly, health chiefs aim to cut waiting times by 70 per cent. Ensuring faster consultations, it is hoped, will encourage older patients to seek medical help when they need it. This is vital, given that many older patients have expressed fear and anxiety about going to hospital. Making access to healthcare services as easy and frictionless as possible is a crucial step towards building a healthier and happier population. "The elderly are a priority and an important segment of society," Seha's Dr Waheeda Abdulla told The National. As such, they deserve the very best care available – after all, they have nurtured younger generations and, through their hard work and dedication, played a pivotal role in making Abu Dhabi the vibrant and prosperous place it is today.

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Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do

Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.

“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”

Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.

Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.

“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”

For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.

“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”

 

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Australia 312-1 

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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?

The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.

Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.

“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.

The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.

The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.

Bloomberg

Brief scoreline:

Tottenham 1

Son 78'

Manchester City 0