A frontline health worker who made an amazing recovery from a coma after a harrowing six-month Covid-19 ordeal says medical colleagues in Abu Dhabi saved him from the “jaws of death".
Arunkumar M Nair, from India, contracted the deadly virus in July while supporting coronavirus patients as an operating theatre technician at LLH Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
After testing positive he was moved to a quarantine facility, where his condition swiftly deteriorated, leaving him struggling to breathe.
Doctors discovered his lungs were severely infected and on July 31 he was put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, as he was no longer able to breathe on his own.
He remained on the machine for 118 days. During his fight for survival, Mr Nair, 38, overcame many hurdles, including several operations and a cardiac arrest.
He spent five months on a life-support machine in the intensive care unit of the capital's Burjeel Hospital under the care of a team led by Dr Tarig Ali Mohamed Elhassan, department head of cardiac surgery.
His wife and children arrived from India soon after he fell into a coma. On Thursday, their months of heartache gave way to happiness as Mr Nair was discharged from hospital.
His release came less than a month after he was able to leave the intensive care unit as his health slowly improved.
'Doctors gave me second shot at life'
The tears rolled down his cheeks as he reflected on a lost six months and thanked the medical team for saving his life and reuniting him with his family.
“I do not remember anything. I know I had barely escaped from the jaws of death,” said Mr Nair.
“Thank you to God for blessing me with a new life. It is the strength of the prayers of my family, friends, and hundreds of others that I am alive today.
“I do not have words to thank them for their support and care. Also, a million thanks to Dr Tarig and his team for the exceptional care they have given to me.
“I now realise that if it were not for their constant efforts, I would not have got a second chance at life. My family and I will always be indebted to Burjeel Hospital and Dr Tarig for this new life.”
VPS Healthcare, which runs Burjeel Hospital as well as LLH Hospital, arranged accommodation for Mr Nair's wife Jenny George and their son Arjun Arunkumar, 2, so they could be by his side during his time of need.
“Though I knew he was in a critical condition, I was hopeful. But when I first saw him in the ICU bed with tubes all over his body, I could not believe my eyes. For the first time, I felt like he would not make it,” Ms George said.
“I was completely broken. But the medical team at Burjeel, VPS management, and Arun's friends were of great help. They supported me and filled me with positivity.
“If it had been any other doctor than Dr Tarig, I do not think Arun would be alive today. We will always be indebted to him and will remember Dr Tarig, the entire medical team, and the hospital management in our prayers for their sincere efforts in saving the life of Arun.”
'Recovery is a miracle'
Dr Elhassan said Mr Nair had to battle every step of the way after being hit hard by a devastating infection.
“Arun is a great fighter. I have never seen one like him in my career,” he said.
“His lungs had failed, and it was beyond repair. He was breathing only with the support of an ECMO machine. And this continued for about 118 days. In a normal case, the recovery would have been impossible.
“This is why Arun's recovery is a miracle to all of us. He even endured a cardiac arrest while his body was weak. His fighting spirit is remarkable.”
Mr Nair's lungs and other organs are now functioning normally. He will undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation to regain strength.
“It might take some time for Arun to get back to normal life. Hopefully, he can get back to duty in a month or two. He has achieved the impossible. His grit is astonishing, and he will succeed,” said Dr Elhassan.
VPS Healthcare rewarded Mr Nair for his courageous comeback with financial aid of Dh250,000 ($68,000) at a function held on Thursday to celebrate his recovery.
The healthcare group will offer a job to his wife and will take up the expense of the education of his son.
The event was made even more special by a message delivered by Indian film star Tovino Thomas.
The actor took on the role of a superhero in his latest hit Minnal Murali, but said it was people like Mr Nair who are superheroes in real life.
Mr Nair was driven home in style in a Luxury Rolls-Royce to a one-bedroom apartment provided by VPS Healthcare.
He will soon fly to India to visit his parents and continue his physiotherapy.
He has vowed to return to duty next month to provide the life-saving help to others he is so thankful for.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee
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
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km
On sale: now
Price: Dh149,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
