DUBAI // More than 100 women staying at a shelter inside the Philippine overseas labour office will be among those to benefit from free monthly health screenings which begin this Friday.
The women, who have been waiting for repatriation for as long as two months, suffer from an assortment of ailments: colds and coughs, diarrhoea, sore eyes and chronic toothache, said Mary Simangan, the welfare officer in Dubai.
"We also have cases of high blood pressure and one is suffering from goitre," she said.
"In case of an emergency, we usually take them to a Filipina doctor at a private clinic and to the dentist."
The women, mostly housemaids, fled their employer's homes after complaining of mistreatment, including unpaid salaries, long working hours, lack of food and sleep and physical abuse.
Ms Simangan said 30 women were sent home recently; they are now preparing for another repatriation.
The checkups are being offered by the Philippine Healthcare Professionals Association - UAE (PHPA-UAE), which was established last year by Dr Alfonso Vincent Torres.
The 31-year-old Manila-trained general practitioner arrived in the country in 2008.
He passed the UAE Ministry of Health exams in March 2009 and now practises general medicine at a healthcare centre in Hor al Anz in Dubai.
He has spent much of his spare time establishing the PHPA-UAE, which has grown to 28 members.
"Initially, I thought of helping out Filipino healthcare professionals wanting to build a career in the UAE," Dr Torres said. "Our aim now is to help people who can't afford to pay Dh50 in consultation fees."
On December 22 his organisation became part of Filcom, the umbrella organisation of more than 90 Filipino community groups in Dubai and the northern Emirates, after being accredited by the Philippine consulate in Dubai.
The group's aims include providing health care, particularly to the less fortunate, and promoting awareness in the community about the importance of prevention in primary health care.
Members of the Filipino community in Dubai wanting medical advice are also welcome to attend the group's medical mission this Friday, according to Dr Torres.
"Since offering free medical check-ups at my wife's church in 2009, I realised that many of our compatriots had concerns over health care issues," he said.
The common ailments included respiratory infections, abdominal pain, hypertension, diabetes and musculoskeletal pain.
"Many of them said that check-ups were too costly and they needed a doctor who would take time to fully explain their illness," Dr Torres said.
"I believe doctors need to speak to their patients to allay their fears instead of merely handing out prescriptions."
The PHPA-UAE also plans to conduct basic first aid training, basic life support and education on how to treat common illnesses. By the end of this year, the group plans to extend its services to the other emirates.
The free checkups will be available on the first Friday of every month at the labour offices in Deira from 2-6pm.
rruiz@thenational.ae
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions