New facility to offer free treatment

Work has been completed on a new medical facility that will offer free treatment to needy patients from all over the country.

The free health service will be provided by Al Ihsan Charity Centre which has been offering aid to hundreds of poor families in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Atallah Habib, deputy director of the Ajman-based organisation, said the centre now accommodates eight clinics, which will offer various treatments. They are expected to operate before the end of the year.

He said the cost of the project was provided by generous donors.

"We have already received the Ministry of Health's approval to implement the project. We are in the process of getting a licence from the ministry to start the service," he added.

A team of doctors from public and private medical sectors has volunteered to work at the clinics on a rotational basis for certain hours during the week.

"We expect to have around 20 doctors, in addition to nurses and one doctor who will be permanently available".

The clinics will cover a number of specialisations including internal medicine, dermatology, paediatrics, light surgery and ear, nose and throat.

An ambulance will also be available to transfer patients to hospital and deliver aid in emergencies.
The clinics will be open from 8am to 1.30pm and from 4.30pm to 9pm throughout the week.

Patients who are registered with Al Ihsan Centre as aid recipients will not be charged, while those who are not registered will only pay a nominal fee of Dh10 or Dh20. Plans are under way to build a charity hospital and a school for the centre.

"The plot for this ambitious project will come as a generous donation from His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman. The centre will also likely move to a new location," Habib said.

He added that since the centre opened three years ago, it has been mainly offering aid to women and children who have no provider, including many widowed and divorced wives. Over 6,000 children are currently benefiting from this assistance.

The centre distributes food and clothes to the poor and organises charity campaigns throughout the year.