From the editors: Dubai's new hospital billing a boon for all

NEW BILLING SYSTEM FOR DUBAI HOSPITALS A BOON FOR ALL: The new Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) billing system introduced by Dubai Health Authority for all public and private hospitals in the emirate comes as a huge relief for patients and offers a lot of benefits to the other stakeholders as well. Instead of paying a hospital separately for each specific service provided, DRG will help the insurer pay a health-care provider a predetermined amount based on a patient’s DRG, which will be calculated on the basis of various parameters such as the nature of illness, the prognosis and other aspects. A widely practised model in much of Europe and also parts of Asia, DRG is a win-win for all connected with the health-care sector in Dubai. [COMMENT BY: Sanjib Kumar Das, Assistant Editor]

PEACE DEAL BODES WELL FOR A NEW SUDAN: The deal signed by Sudan’s government and rebel groups on Saturday is a milestone on the road to achieve sustainable peace. Long-standing issues - like land ownership, reparations, return of refugees and internally displaced people - are expected to be addressed. Given the political upheaval Sudan has faced in recent years - which culminated in the toppling of Omar Al Bashir’s regime last year - ending internal conflicts needs to be a top priority of the transitional government. But, just how far Sudan has come on the road to stability is indicated by the fact that the peace talks were mediated by South Sudan, whose leaders themselves battled Khartoum as rebels for decades. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]

GREENING BONDS: A POSITIVE CHANGE FOR THE REGION: Last week, Egypt issued its first-ever Green Sovereign bond, a $750 million, five-year bond priced at 5.25%. Earlier in the month, the Saudi Electric Company issued a $1.3 billion multi-tranche Green Sukuk and Qatar National Bank issued a $600 million Green Bond, the first green deals for either country. Given the fact that five out of six GCC countries are among the top 10 in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, raising funds for environmental goals is a clear shift in the approach towards a sustainable future from the increasingly unviable model that relied on petro-dollars and massive social subsidies. The impact of energy transition on fossil fuel demand too is a good enough reason for GCC to go green. [COMMENT BY: Babu Das Augustine, Business Editor]

There is no reason for the Kolkata Knight Riders fans to fret yet after their loss in the high-scoring match in Sharjah - for they were up against a very well-rounded Delhi Capitals team and on a track which has now produced 200-plus totals in all three matches until Saturday. In the end, the seventh wicket pair of Eoin Morgan and Rahul Tripathi almost made it gettable and losing such a high-scoring contest by 18 runs is by no means a bad deal. It’s still early days but skipper Dinesh Karthik seems already a man under pressure - and his tally of 37 runs from four innings has not really helped his confidence levels either. [COMMENT BY: Gautam Bhattacharyya, Senior Associate Editor]

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is one of the first major Indian stars to address the alleged drug problem in the film industry, and the upheaval following Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide in June. In a video posted to social media, he implored fans to avoid labelling Bollywood as all bad, and asked the media for sensitivity as “one negative news item can destroy someone’s reputation that took years of hard work to build”. In a country where fans can make or break a star’s career, this fear of being cancelled might be keeping major celebrities from speaking up about the issues that plague the industry. But their silence amid such serious allegations ultimately speaks for them. [COMMENT BY: Jennifer Barretto, Assistant Editor – Features]