Dubai: A leading healthcare provider in the UAE has announced free medical consultation in their hospitals and clinics for one hour every Tuesday, prompting the UAE’s Minister of Stater for Happiness to laud the initiative.
Thumbay Group announced on Saturday that all its healthcare facilities will have an Happiness Hour every Tuesday from 4pm to 5pm, as part of its contribution to the UAE’s Year of Giving campaign.
Following the announcement, Uhoud Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office, urged the private sector to launch similar humanitarian initiatives that facilitate people’s access to medical services.
“These kind of initiatives promote the values of empathy and generosity so characteristic of Emirati culture,” said Al Roumi adding that they also underline the private sector’s role as a partner to the government, supporting its national initiatives to achieve its goals.”
The initiative resonates with the National Happiness and Positivity Programme, which seeks to spread happiness in the UAE, said Al Roumi adding that health is a key factor in creating a happy society.
Al Roumi asserted that health initiatives such as the Happiness Hour help realise one of the objectives of the Year of Giving initiative, launched by the President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which calls for making 2017 a year for charity and philanthropy in the UAE.
The initiative promotes the values of giving and generosity, which she added, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, never fails to emphasise.
In addition to Happiness Hour, Thumbay Group launched a host of other free health initiatives, such as the Pink Drive (Breast cancer awareness initiative), the annual Healthy Baby Contest and Exhibition, and Teachers Health Awareness Week.
