In line with the Year of Giving initiative that was declared by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and in line with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to implement initiatives for the benefit of UAE society and work to establish a permanent change in the way the next generation will serve the UAE positively, social workers from the Dubai Hospital helped 167 patients with financial difficulties.
Cancer relief
Kafa Al Matri, Head of Social Services Department at Dubai Hospital said that 167 patients received help in June and July this year and that the department coordinated with various charities to waive the medical bills of these patients.
She said 50 per cent of these were cancer cases, 40 per cent were kidney cases and 10 per cent were other diseases.
Coordinated effort
The department coordinated with the DHA’s Mussadah committee, Dar Al Ber Society, the Red Crescent Society of the UAE etc.
The DHA has a dedicated department for humanitarian cases and a Mussadah( assistance) committee that helps patients in DHA hospitals with financial difficulties.
Salim Bin Lahej, Director of the Humanitarian and Charitable Affairs Department at the DHA said that the aim of the initiative is to better the lives of the underprivileged and help fund medications and treatments of patients with financial difficulties.
In 2015, the Moussadah committee worked with various charities and organisations in the UAE to raise Dh67 million to help 1,640 patients from 43 nationalities. In 2016 they raised 108 million dirhams and now that the programme has been selected as one of the initiatives for the Year of Giving 2017, the Department aims to raise Dh250 million in aid and carry out 49 medicine donation programmes by the end of this year.
