RAS AL KHAIMAH // The first baby born in the UAE in 2011 has been offered free medical treatment for life.
Rayah Khalifa al Naqbi, who weighed in at 2.385kg, was born just after midnight on Saturday at the RAK Hospital.
Though she was delivered by Caesarian section, the timing was accidental as her mother, Fatema, went into labour while shopping for a dress for her new daughter, who was due later this month.
"It's such a rare thing because it is really clockwork," said Dr Jean-Marc Gauer, the hospital's chief executive and senior consultant surgeon.
"One minute after midnight, the baby was born and the first new baby in the decade. We just thought we had to do something for them."
Rayah's father, Khalifa, wrote three Nabati poems after her birth to express his thanks to God, and he sent them to friends on his BlackBerry.
"Most of my children are born at the end of the year, December and November," said Mr al Naqbi, an operations superintendent at Gasco who lives in Abu Dhabi. "This is a gift from God. I accept this and I am happy."
Rayah, who is named after her father's aunt, met her brother, Saeed, two, and sister Aisha, 18 months, yesterday.
"My daughter knows there was something inside my stomach but she doesn't understand," said Fatema, 24. "Saeed's asking, 'Where's the new baby?' "
Rayah has not yet met her entire set of siblings, as she has another seven brothers and sisters from their father's first wife.
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What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
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Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
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Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
