My grandmother and the plight of healthcare

The issue with the state of healthcare in the UAE is certainly not one of capital expenditure but rather that of quality control, professionalism and human value.

According to the Unicef's country reports, the UAE scores quite high with health indicators. This ranges from 100 per cent and 97 per cent of the population using improved drinking water and sanitation facilities respectively to 98 per cent and 94 per cent of one-year-old children immunised against tuberculosis and polio.

However, when looking at the World Health Organisation's 2006 list of statistics the results are slightly more mixed. I've compared the UAE to an eclectic list of countries that resemble its neighbours, some of the countries it benchmarks itself against and some G8 members; Kuwait, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Canada, United States and the United Kingdom. So here are some of the results:

The UAE spends 8.7 per cent of its budget and 2.6 per cent of its GDP on health compared to 12.2 per cent and 7.2 per cent for the group respectively. Comment: this has dramatically increased since His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, became Prime Minister and put health and education on top of the list.

The UAE has 18 hospital beds per 10,000 people compared to 38.1 for the group. Comment: there have been several plans announced and underway to build new hospitals across the country. The issue with the state of healthcare in the Emirates is certainly not one of capital expenditure but rather that of quality control, professionalism and human value.

Last week my grandmother had what we at the time thought was a stroke. We called a private hospital that has a reputation of being very good at heart problems. Their ambulance service requested Dh1,500 to be made ready upon arrival otherwise the pick-up wouldn't be arranged; we complied and didn't have time to take offence. Her heart rate was slowing down dramatically by the time she arrived at the hospital, but they kept her on a bed in the waiting room until necessary payment was made.

Several doctors saw her, the first identified heart problems, another said severe dehydration, a third said she had an internal infection, another said she has blood circulation problems in her veins. Each prescribed several medicines, a total of 14, of which some were conflicting.

The next day, the nurse enters the room and takes the blood pressure and temperature on her hand; she writes it on her hand! When asked what would happen if her hand was smudged she calmly replies that she would copy it on paper. She admitted that this was wrong but said that she was in a hurry. Another incident: She withdraws blood and leaves the bottle on the bed and the syringe in her hand, while she goes to get additional bottles. A third incident: the glucose bag is being replaced by a nurse when her colleague comes in and they start talking and she gets carried away till it drips on the floor. She tells us not to worry, they have cleaners!

By the following day, three of the doctors said she could leave. The fourth was requested at 7pm, he came at 10am the next day and said she needs to be moved to ICU. Where would we be now had we listened to the other three? When we asked them for an explanation, they said it's not their specification.

She spent two days in the ICU without improvement - in fact her heartbeat became even more irregular and her blood pressure was worsening. Then we moved her to a public hospital in the hope of better care.

In the public hospital we waited for a doctor to see us. They told us it was the weekend and only doctors under training were visiting at 7:30am daily; they in turn would report to the doctor - without his presence. When asked to see the heart specialist, the nurses said other doctors were available and there was no need for a specialist at this stage. We asked them to get someone to diagnose her condition and they said "it's just old age". Does that mean there is no medication? Where is the doctor who made this analysis?

The UAE's healthcare challenges will never be in facilities but in expertise and quality. This is apparent when looking at other measures in the WHO report: The UAE's ratio of nurses and midwives to physicians is 2.1:1 while the group average is 3.3:1

The years of life lost to disease in the UAE are 12 while the group average is 10.7 only.

This is a deep-rooted problem in the misunderstanding of the importance of healthcare as opposed to everything else. You can take your time in fixing education, you can delay an infrastructure project for a year or two, but when it comes to healthcare, it takes seconds to save or lose lives.

Finally we took my grandmother home - against medical advice. We found a private doctor and a live-in nurse. It is extremely expensive. I wonder what of others who cannot afford this? Should they prepare their graves?

Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.

Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.

I believe that this is not only restricted to old age but for all the ages. Unfortunately a lot of importance is given to the quality of the hospital infrastructure and facilitites but very little emphasis on the quality of doctors and the medical operating procedures.
Rohan
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 21, 2009, 11:23

Excellent article. Intelligent and well balanced.
Abdulelah Dandachi
Doha,Qatar
Posted: June 21, 2009, 10:42

Brilliant comment. It is always a pleasure to read balanced, intellignet comments on issues that affect every one of us.
Zaki
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 21, 2009, 08:58

This is the first article Ive read about aged care issues in the UAE. I am interested in reading more on this issue and how the UAE is preparing to care for their aged.Thank you
JS
Dubai,UAE
Posted: June 21, 2009, 08:43