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The best way to help them

AJMAN — With the cost of living going up everyday, a big chunk of the expatriate population in the UAE seeks different ways to eke out their living or to save whatever little is possible. Healthcare costs too have increased over the years and those with no insurance cover find it difficult to make their choices.

“This is where we help them,” says Dr Hakki Ismail, Executive Manager of Al Ihsan Medical Centre in Ajman.

Hundreds of people visit the centre on a monthly basis, either to avail of free checkups or free medicine for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases, ailments that plague the UAE population.

“Medicine in the UAE is expensive,” says Dr Ismail. “And we distribute it free of cost to people until our stocks last.” The Ihsan Charitable Association, headed by Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi, popularly known as the Green Shaikh, is a registered non-profit organisation that runs the medical complex in Ajman’s Karama area since 2003.

The medicine is distributed only to the needy people living in the UAE. “There are patients who are treated in hospitals and required to take medicine for chronic diseases lifelong but cannot afford it.

Patients visiting the centre are mainly seeking treatment for common ailments such as diabetes, allergies, heart diseases and paediatric problems.“The entire treatment for a patient can also be sponsored,” says Dr Ismail.

The medical centre has three doctors and more than 10 others offering volunteering services in two clinics, including a dental clinic —considered one of the most expensive medical procedures worldwide. Women can benefit from obstetrics and gynaecology services also offered at the centre. Volunteer doctors dedicate 2-3 hours daily, says Dr Ismail.

“The best way to support the centre is by donating medicines or medical equipment,” he adds.

A different experience

Dr Sabaa Ziad, a gynaecologist, has been dedicating eight hours per week to the centre for nearly three years.

“I felt it was my duty to do something good for the society,” explains the Jordanian national. Dr Sabaa, who quit after working in a government hospital for 14 years, said that only after she decided to open her own clinic that she was able to juggle time.

“It was after much consideration that I chose to dedicate my time to Al Ihsan Centre. They approach areas and cases that we have never heard of in the UAE,” explains Dr Sabaa. Up to 40 cases with all kinds of gynaecologic problems are seen on the two days that she volunteers for the centre. “We have all nationalities coming to us and I see all kinds of cases except deliveries,” she adds.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com