Gulf Kannadiga - a reflection of Karnataka in the Gulf

7 February 2010, Hailstorm and a torrential downpour in Ras Al Khaimah claimed an Emirati¡¯s life and injured several others in the Wadi Ghalila valley on Saturday.

CAUGHT UNAWARES: Around 100SUVs were stranded on the new road to Jebel Jais on Saturday. The SUVs, carrying sightseers, were trapped by the gushing waters that cut through a low-lying part of the road that leads to the top of the majestic mountain.—KT photo by Enrique Soriano

Captain Saeed Rashid Al Yamahi, Head of the Air Wing Section of Ras Al Khaimah Police, said rescue personnel had recovered the body of the UAE national from the flooded valley.

Residents of the area managed to recover the man’s car which was carrying three others when it was swept away by the gushing waters. Several other cars were also carried way by the floods flowing over the Wadi Ghalila dam.

FORECASTERS expect more rain, especially in the Northern Emirates, this weekend. According to the general weather forecast, temperatures will vary between 18¢ªC and 31¢ªC in the coastal areas and 17¢ªC and 34¢ªC in the interiors.

Experts from the Ministry of Water and Environment are monitoring the dams, according to executive director of the Ministry’s Department for Agriculture and Animals Sultan bin Alwan.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi experienced light showers. Al Ain too experienced sudden downpours but much of the Garden City remained free of water logging. Rains, accompanied by lightning and thunder, also lashed Umm Al Quwain.

Normal life in some parts of the Northern Emirates was thrown out of gear as the heavy downpour flooded roads, valleys and homes.

Water rushed down the new road leading up to the majestic Jebel Jais, catching many motorists unawares. Around 100 vehicles were stuck on the new road, waiting to be rescued.

The heavy downpour led to water logging in some parts of RAK. Streets, shops and homes were waterlogged. RAK residents complained of rainwater seeping into their homes, shops and garages through the ceiling destroying property.

But, for some, it was welcome showers. Many dusted off their umbrellas and braved the chill and the downpour to picnic at the Wadi Al Baih waterfall.

7 February 2010 DUBAI — The rapidly developing healthcare sector in the UAE faces challenges to its long-term sustainability due to the relatively high cost of medical provision, according to a recent report.

Competitor countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, have already established a strong reputation for quality, low-cost healthcare provision, and therefore have significant first-mover advantages compared to the UAE, according to “Transforming the Middle East’s healthcare model,” a recently published research report by Grant Thornton.

Commenting on the report, Farouk Mohamed, Managing Partner, Grant Thornton UAE, highlighted the need for cost rationalisation in the country’s healthcare sector, pointing out that the average cost of a heart bypass surgery in the UAE stood at $44,000, compared with an average of $18,500 in Singapore, $11,000 in Thailand, $10,000 in India and $9,000 in Malaysia.

“While the cost of healthcare provision in the UAE compares very favourably with most Western markets,” said Mohamed, “the long-term development of the country’s medical tourism sector remains extremely price-dependent. That is especially true during a period of global economic instability and relatively low levels of consumer confidence, worldwide and here in the Middle East.”

According to Dr Prem Jagyasi, a renowned healthcare consultant, high quality healthcare services with affordability are not a privilege, but the right of the people. “Healthcare should be affordable for every person,” he adds.

Citing the example of the US, Dr Jagyasi, who is also the Managing Director and CEO of ExHealth said that almost 50 million people are uninsured and 250 million are underinsured due to costly healthcare.

He said though low cost played an important role in medical tourism, other factors existed as well. “For instance in Canada and UK, healthcare is available but not easy accessible. In many countries, high-end healthcare is not available so affluent society travels for medical tourism. The key factors are lack of affordability, availability and accessibility,” he added.

“Though healthcare cost should be controlled in the UAE, medical tourism in UAE can’t be developed only on cost effectiveness,” he argues. “Perception of the destination, quality of services and added advantages can help in development of medical tourism.”

Hisham Farouk, International Practice Partner, Grant Thornton UAE, highlighted that Singapore, for example, has stated that it aims to attract one million medical tourists a year by 2012, and that the UAE also has the opportunity and means to become an important regional medical tourism destination.

“The further development of the medical tourism sector in the UAE, although dependent upon more competitive costs, can provide the country with significant direct and indirect benefits,” said Farouk.

“There is no question that the existing infrastructure in the UAE, and especially in clusters such as Dubai Healthcare City, is already well developed,” he said. “There is every reason to believe that the ongoing development of this potentially high-growth area will further enhance the reputation of the UAE as a centre of medical excellence and a leading destination for medical care.”

However, the DHCC is facing issues of its own. Affected by the global financial crunch, the prestigious Mayo Clinic recently shut down its out-patient heart clinic.

Timelines of other important projects such as the University Hospital which was due to be completed in 2011, are also being reviewed, said Dr Ayesha Abdulla, Senior Vice President of DHCC.

“We may not be able to compete on price with India, but we offer quality,” said Dr Ayesha, while speaking to Khaleej Times. The DHCC saw over 200,000 patients last year of which 10 per cent were from overseas