Experts who you can trust with your life



ABU DHABI // An Emirati teenager with a rare heart tumour is one of tens of thousands of patients who have been treated at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since it opened its doors a year ago.

The medical campus on Al Maryah Island, which was one of the Abu Dhabi’s most-anticipated flagship projects, started treating patients a year ago this month as part of a 10-week rollout of services.

Since then, the 364-bed hospital has seen 89,000 outpatient visits and treated patients from more than 40 countries.

It has also seen 3,400 surgical procedures, including the recent case of a UAE national suffering with a heart tumour; a condition that affects between only 1 in 1,000 to 100,000 people, according to CCAD.

The 17-year-old had undergone a routine health screening at her school, including an echocardiogram (a test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart). Although she did not show any symptoms, the test revealed a mass in her heart – later diagnosed as a tumour.

A team of surgeons led by Dr Rakesh Suri, chief of staff and of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the clinic, and Dr Johannes Bonatti, chief of the clinic’s Heart and Vascular Institute, used a minimally-invasive approach to remove the tumour.

“What this patient had was a very rare tumour, ” said Dr Suri. “Working with a skilled group of imaging experts, anaesthesiologists and nurses, Dr Bonatti and I were able to completely remove the tumour through a very small incision in the heart in about 20 minutes.

“The patient was discharged from hospital only four days after her surgery, and diagnostics showed the tumour to be benign.”

The patient’s mother, who preferred not to be named, thanked the hospital’s surgical team.

“This experience has shown us how important it is to have regular check-ups with a physician,” she said. “I am very thankful that we discovered the tumour early, but even more thankful that we were able to stay right here in Abu Dhabi for the advanced care my daughter needed for this rare condition.”

The hospital, developed by Mubadala Healthcare, a unit of Mubadala Development, has services including an eye clinic, internal medicine, infectious diseases, rheumatology, pain management, nervous system, brain and spine, digestive health, urology and kidney, dermatology, plastic surgery and an emergency department.

CCAD only accepts Thiqa cardholders, who are exclusively Emirati, people with select Daman enhanced plans, and those who are self-funding.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

Three tips from La Perle's performers

1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.

2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.

3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.

Results

6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).

7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.

7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.

8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.

Squads

India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur

West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.