UAE: Meet the Emirati healthcare provider who plays ice hockey for national women’s team

Muna Al Dhaheri is adept at multitasking. The Emirati woman is a patient experience officer at Mubadala Health, plays as a defender in the UAE women's national ice hockey team, and, when at home, diverts her energy to helping her family.

While representing the UAE is a childhood dream turned into reality, Al Dhaheri is equally passionate about serving the community, which she has managed to do through her job in the healthcare sector.

"Being both an employee and a player is vital to me and a part of who I am. Working in this dynamic sector allows me to pursue both my passion professionally and personally, as I can continue playing hockey because of the ongoing support I receive from my job. Everyone always tells me how proud they are of me for being a hockey player," said Al Dhaheri, who is based in Abu Dhabi.

Working at Mubadala Health, an integrated network of world-class medical facilities, enables her to manage every aspect of a patient's experience at the various leading healthcare centres. Here she interacts directly with patients and their families, addressing any challenges they might face. Her passion for ensuring that everyone who enters a Mubadala Health facility gets the same top-quality care they deserve is something Al Dhaheri takes into all other aspects of her life while she also juggles to maintain a life balance.

"My personal life, job, and sport require time and effort from me. At times, it can become difficult to balance them all. When competing, I must travel to represent my country as a member of the national team. In terms of my personal life, I must look after my family and be present for them. My job, on the other hand, requires time to reach targets and deliver on them. I continuously try to balance my personal life, job, sports, and other passions," Al Dhaheri told Khaleej Times.

Talking about memories from ice hockey rinks, Muna recollected her international outings to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where despite their best efforts, the team narrowly missed out on winning a gold medal. Nevertheless, Muna emphasised that she would continue to keep challenging herself to succeed.

"In order to improve and broaden my experience, I prefer to challenge myself, learn more, and always look ahead to the next steps in both my personal and professional lives."