Abu Dhabi: The generosity of the UAE’s leadership in ensuring the welfare and happiness of the citizens and expat residents was once again manifested at a hospital in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Indian expat Mullapalli Ali Komukutty, 56, had the “rare honour” of being visited by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, while he was admitted at the Cleveland Clinic.
Ali is among the personal staff of the Crown Prince, having worked at the palace for 30 years. Though he regularly meets Shaikh Mohammad and accompanies him on official trips, seeing the Crown Prince while on his hospital bed was something that amazed Ali.
“It was a rare honour and extremely happy moment for me,” the father of three, who hails from the south Indian state of Kerala, told Gulf News on Saturday.
“I never expected him to visit me when I am sick. This is something to cherish forever in my life,” he said in a message passed on through his eldest son Naseeb.
“Every time he speaks about it, his eyes well up,” Naseeb said about his father.
“Being sick and away from work is a time when you don’t expect anyone from a workplace like a palace to enquire about you. But we have had the exactly opposite experience when our father became ill,” he said.
Naseeb said Ali had visited another hospital in Abu Dhabi last Saturday after complaining of constant headaches and how he felt giddy.
After doing an MRI, he was advised by the doctors there to get admitted immediately for a surgery as there was blood clot on his brain.
Constant follow-up
“It was then we informed the Crown Prince Court about his illness. From that time, they were constantly following up on his health, giving us advice and directions,” said Naseeb.
As per the guidance from the Crown Prince Court, Ali was moved to Cleveland Clinic two days after the surgery.
“We couldn’t shift him earlier as the preparations for the surgery were already done in the other hospital and any delay would have affected him badly.”
Many people from the palace visited Ali. But on Thursday afternoon, the person who knocked at the door was Shaikh Mohammad himself, said Naseeb’s youngest brother Nasir.
“When I opened the door and saw him smiling I was pleasantly shocked,” he said.
The Crown Prince greeted Nasir and his mother Ramla Ummathoor.
“It was a moment of mixed emotions then. When I think about it now, I feel extremely happy. He took my father’s hands in his and spoke to him and comforted him. We are also happy about our father’s health improving very well after the Crown Prince’s visit. He got discharged and came home yesterday,” he said.
Big heart
Naseeb said the whole family had been deeply touched, adding that they feel extremely indebted to the Crown Prince.
“He had also talked to the doctors treating our father and enquired about his health. This shows how an employee is not treated as just a salaried person, but how his loyalty is valued and reciprocated by a great leader with a big heart.”
He said Ali has been advised to take enough rest to completely recover from his illness before reporting to work.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have liked an Instagram post on the account of the Emirates Royal Family revealing that Shaikh Mohammad had visited Ali and two other patients at the hospital.
The official Twitter account of the Crown Prince also shared that he visited Ali, Salem Tajer Al Daheri and Abdullah Al Sayed Mohammad Al Hashemi at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to check on their health and wish them a speedy recovery.
