Nida Qamar-Hayat holds her daughter Eshal, 2, who needs urgent heart surgery. Pawan Singh / The National
Nida Qamar-Hayat holds her daughter Eshal, 2, who needs urgent heart surgery. Pawan Singh / The National
Nida Qamar-Hayat holds her daughter Eshal, 2, who needs urgent heart surgery. Pawan Singh / The National
Nida Qamar-Hayat holds her daughter Eshal, 2, who needs urgent heart surgery. Pawan Singh / The National

Girl faces residency fight after heart operation in Dubai


Nick Webster
  • English
  • Arabic

Life could not have had a more testing start for young Eshal Qamar-Hayat, who is recovering from lifesaving heart surgery in Dubai.

Just weeks short of her second birthday, the child born with two holes in her heart is about to begin a second fight for a life.

Her mother, Nida, from Karachi, was unaware of the peril her daughter was in when she took her in for a routine vaccination with her family doctor.

That doctor noticed a heart problem, and referred her for further tests.

Without health insurance and no official residency status after being abandoned by her father, who had lost his job, Eshal was running out of time.

When a family friend came across Al Jalila Foundation and its Farah programme, which provides aid for paediatric patients in need, the girl was given that second chance.

My daughter is a baby, yet she is illegally living here.

A successful heart operation will give Eshal the chance to live a normal life, although she faces regular check-ups and long-term medication.

Her mother is attempting to register her daughter as a UAE resident, through the court, so she can have a more permanent home.

“I had no way of paying for an operation,” said Ms Qamar-Hayat, 30, a former logistics secretary.

“She had no health card, visa or insurance care because my husband had no documents for her and we are no longer living together.

“He took no responsibility after her birth. We were in an impossible position.

“My daughter is a baby, yet she is illegally living here.”

Eshal was born with a ventricular septal defect, a congenital problem causing holes in the upper and lower chambers of her heart.

She underwent life-saving open-heart surgery when she was just 15 months old.

The family must cover the costs of her ongoing screening and medication of about Dh2,000 every three months.

Eshal and Ms Qamar-Hayat live with her parents in Karama and are completely reliant on their support for survival.

She is now filing for divorce from Eshal’s father, and hopes to then secure residency for her daughter.

“It has been two years, so we will have big fines,” she said.

“It is not my fault and I don’t know how to pay them. I used to be independent and a working woman, but I left my job to have a baby.

“My parents are helping, but I do not want to depend on them.

“This treatment is now my priority in life.”

Farah, the Arabic word for happiness, is Al Jalila Foundation’s paediatric program that provides life-saving treatment to patients in the Emirates.

The foundation works directly with healthcare partners on treatment plans that cater to patients’ needs.

Since 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has invested Dh44 million to provide care to 600 patients in the UAE.

It has helped 290 children suffering from heart disease, cancer, genetic disorders and other chronic illnesses.

Treatment costs vary from Dh20,000 to Dh500,000.

Lakduli Pradeep, 9, is another child to benefit from the foundation.

The Sri Lankan girl has a form of childhood rheumatism that leaves her weak, often with a rash and painful, inflamed muscles.

The Farah programme funded Dh200,000 of treatment that has vastly improved her quality of life.

Her father, Nilantha Pradeep, 42, has been in Dubai for five years, and works in an office.

“The doctors have said my daughter is still not well enough to go to school, but she is much happier and her life is better, for sure,” he said.

“We have a private tutor to educate her from home so she will not fall behind in her studies.

“It is important she goes back to school soon to see her friends, and this treatment is helping her towards that.”

Patients can apply for treatment with the foundation by supplying a covering letter explaining the medical issue and financial hardship, with medical records, proof of income and ID documents.

“There can be no greater cause than to support and improve the health and well-being of children,” said Dr Raja Easa Al Gurg, chairperson of the A Jalila Foundation board of directors.

“Through our healthcare programs, Al Jalila Foundation sponsors some of the best medical treatment in the world and invests in vital research to eliminate illnesses in the future.

"Our partners and donors continue to inspire us with their generosity.

“Every day we witness the culture of giving that is embedded in the nation’s DNA instilled by the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.”

For more information, visit Al Jalila Foundation.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
AndhaDhun

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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
Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Brief scoreline:

Liverpool 5

Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'

Huddersfield 0

Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
MATCH DETAILS

Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)

Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)

The%20US%20Congress%2C%20explained
%3Cp%3E-%20US%20Congress%20is%20divided%20into%20two%20chambers%3A%20the%20House%20of%20Representatives%20and%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20435%20members%20make%20up%20the%20House%2C%20and%20100%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20A%20party%20needs%20control%20of%20218%20seats%20to%20have%20a%20majority%20in%20the%20House%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20Senate%2C%20a%20party%20needs%20to%20hold%2051%20seats%20for%20control%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20In%20the%20event%20of%20a%2050-50%20split%2C%20the%20vice%20president's%20party%20retains%20power%20in%20the%20Senate%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

Friday's schedule in Madrid

Men's quarter-finals

Novak Djokivic (1) v Marin Cilic (9) from 2pm UAE time

Roger Federer (4) v Dominic Thiem (5) from 7pm

Stefanos Tsitsipas (8) v Alexander Zverev (3) from 9.30pm

Stan Wawrinka v Rafael Nadal (2) from 11.30pm

Women's semi-finals

Belinda Bencic v Simona Halep (3) from 4.30pm

Sloane Stephens (8) v Kiki Bertens (7) from 10pm