Abu Dhabi: Members of the Federal National Council are due to question Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health, on Tuesday about disinfection of hospitals to reduce health care-associated infections and provide patients with a clean and safe environment.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that at any time, more than 1.4 million people worldwide are affected by infections acquired in hospitals.
Cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation saves lives and improves patient outcomes
Between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of patients admitted to modern hospitals in the developed world acquire one or more health care-associated infections,
Transmission of health care-associated pathogens most frequently occurs via the hands of health-care workers, who inadvertently contaminate their hands during various patient care activities
Al Owais will also be quizzed on measures taken to ensure cafes’ abidance by the anti-tobacco laws.
Under the rules, shisha cafes and shops selling tobacco products must not be near schools and mosques. A minimum distance of 15 metres should be maintained from kindergartens, schools, universities and colleges and a minimum of 100 metres from places of worship. A minimum of 150 metres from residential areas is the rule for shisha cafes.
Shisha cafes are subject to specific rules when it comes to their opening hours. The regulations specify that these cafes must comply with working hours from 10am to midnight. Shisha may not be served to customers younger than 18 years, and the cafes will be forbidden from delivering shisha to apartments,
Further, tobacco products cannot be displayed near items marketed for children, or sportswear, health, food and electronic products.
Advertising of tobacco products is no longer permitted. The law bans any content that advertises tobacco products, such as newspaper advertisements, TV commercials and animations.
It also bans importing tobacco products that are not in line with technical standards set by the UAE, and any violations regarding such imports can lead to a one-year prison sentence and a fine ranging from Dh100,000 to Dh1 million, in addition to the confiscation of products.
Members of he Federal National Council will debate the 2012 and 2013 end-of-year audit reports and a draft law concerning the Federal Customs Authority.
Hamad Ahmad Al Rahoumi, a member from Dubai, will put a question to Dr Anwar Mohammad Gargash, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, on Abu Dhabi-based telecommunications group etisalat’s sponsorship agreement with Barcelona, extended by four years to the end of June 2017.
Ali Eisa Al Nuaimi, a member from Ajman, will put a question to Dr Abdullah Bel Haif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works and chairman of the Federal Land and Sea Transport Authority, on rules regulating railways in the UAE.
