ABU DHABI The first Emirati physician to specialise in emergency medicine, Dr. Ayesha Al Memari, 37, got the recognition she richly deserved when she won the prestigious Abu Dhabi Awards for earlier this week.
She is among the eight people who were honoured for a range of achievements.
A true patriot at heart, Dr Ayesha recently volunteered to go to war-ravaged Yemen where she treated UAE soldiers, becoming the first Emirati woman doctor to work in a conflict zone.
“It was my call of duty,” she said.
Currently working as emergency medicine programme director at Mafraq Hospital, Dr Ayesha comes from a middle class family in Baniyas. “I always wanted to help people in emergencies. The 1990 Iraq invasion in Kuwait and the ensuing instability in the region strengthened my resolve so I took up a career in medicine.
After graduating from Arabian Gulf University in Bahrain, Dr Ayesha specialised in emergency medicine and critical care from McGill University in Canada. Besides a masters in quality and safety in healthcare management she also holds a masters in international tissue and organ donation for transplant from the University of Barcelona. “I became the first Emirati woman to specialise in emergency medicine. It is a challenging field for women as they have to deal with death and trauma daily. It also requires them to work late shifts and be on call for emergencies.”
Dr Ayesha said what others thought as downsides of the profession were actually her biggest pull. “This is exactly what I wanted to do and I am happy that I am able to contribute to my nation. It helped me realise my dream,” she said.
Her passion and commitment for saving lives does not stop with her clinical duties. Around two years ago she launched a unique concept called EMA Mini Medical School to help people handle medical emergencies. “We had five semi-structured courses in emergency and general medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, critical care etc. Till date, the free four-week course has trained over 500 people in the UAE.”
In a profession where seeing death, suffering and trauma is a routine, how does she relax? “I am human and it does get to me sometimes. Hiking is my stress relief therapy. It helps me disconnect and recharge for the next emergency (God forbid),” she said.
