SHARJAH // A hospital shut down by health inspectors for having too few medical staff and inadequate equipment has been told it can reopen on Saturday.
Expectant mothers were left out of pocket, with nowhere to have their babies and without access to their medical records when the 60-bed Central Private Hospital closed abruptly last weekend.
Hospital managers have now promised to hire more doctors and nurses and have already bought new medical equipment, and the Ministry of Health has given them the go-ahead to reopen.
“The ministry wanted to give them another opportunity,” said Saqr Al Qassimi, assistant under secretary at the ministry and director of Sharjah Health Zone.
“The hospital has provided proof of its commitment to carry out the necessary changes, including purchasing the required medical equipment, which it bought from the Arab Health Exhibition taking place in Dubai.
“The ministry’s objective was not punishment, but to guarantee the quality of the medical service provided. Patient safety is our main priority.”
A note at the hospital entrance yesterday said it was closed until February 2 for “maintenance work”.
The sudden closure of the hospital, one of the oldest private medical facilities in Sharjah and a popular affordable option for many uninsured low and middle-income families, sparked an outcry.
Many patients, including expectant mothers, were left with no access to their medical files and unsure of what would happen to advance cash payments they had made.
Anish Andrews’s wife gave birth at the hospital on January 18, but when it closed he was unable to obtain a birth notification for his child, which meant he could not apply for a birth certificate.
“I was at the hospital at the same time that the health inspectors were there so the administrators told me to come back the next day, but when I went back the next day the hospital was closed,” he said.
Without a birth certificate the family had trouble arranging screening tests for their newborn son and feared they would be unable to get a passport for their child.
“It has taken so much of our time and provoked a lot of tension to chase this,” said Mr Andrews.
The Ministry of Health intervened and asked the hospital to provide him with a birth notification. But he says the experience has left him reluctant to deal with the hospital when it reopens.
“There is a risk that this could happen again, and why should I waste my valuable time?”
When the hospital closed, Senait Asfaw, who is due to give birth on February 15 and whose first child was born there two years ago, paid about Dh1,500 to register with another hospital.
Nevertheless, she welcomed the reopening. “It is really good that they will be allowed to operate again. I will go back to follow up with them as soon as they open.
“I had to register with another hospital as I could deliver any time but now I will go with Central Private Hospital because they are good and they are not greedy. They do not force you to pay for a lot of extra things.”
For Sakina Mai, whose pregnant daughter Ayesha, 22, is due “any time now”, a stressful wait remains. Central Private Hospital has her daughter’s medical records on file, but by the time it reopens Ayesha is likely to have gone into labour.
“She has been having a lot of pain today and we will wait for a day before we take her to hospital,” said Mrs Mai, a Pakistani expatriate who has lived in Sharjah for 26 years.
“I still don’t know where we will go and which hospital will take her without any records. It’s all up to Allah now.”
The hospital's management refused to comment.
wissa@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by Ramola Talwar
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
TV:
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
