ABU DHABI, The approval of granting the 10-year golden residency to resident doctors by the UAE, announced recently by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, will attract the best talent and health expertise from around the world, and support workers in the first line of defence, in appreciation of their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) said the initiative also reflects the UAE leadership’s forward-looking vision to attract highly skilled medical professionals and establish a conducive environment for creativity and innovation, in line with the UAE’s plans to have an integrated, state-of-the-art healthcare ecosystem. It will help grant doctors and their families 10-year residency visas, in line with the UAE government’s vision to enhance its global competitiveness as a preferred destination for work, living and study, and as an incubator of talent and academic excellence.
Doctors working in SEHA facilities said that this generous gesture from the UAE would have a significant effect on them and their family lives.
Dr. Guido Mannaerts, Head of the Department of Surgery at Tawam Hospital, a SEHA facility, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM), “When I received the phone call to tell me that I had been granted golden residency in the UAE for 10 years, I was overjoyed and very proud and that the UAE government appreciated my work and efforts over the past seven years at Tawam Hospital and I felt a sense of belonging to this great country.”
This initiative instils in the resident doctors more stability and reassurance and motivates them to spend the rest of their lives in the UAE and live there with their family members and to continue giving and contributing to the development in it, he added.
Dr. Shoaib Saleh Samir, Internal Medicine Specialist at Al Muwaiji Healthcare Center, extended his deepest thanks and gratitude to the leadership, noting that it is a medal of honour in appreciation of their duty towards the UAE and its people.
He said that he and his family lived in stability and prosperity during his 14-year stay in the UAE, which provided them with all the necessities of a decent life and all luxury amenities.
Dr. Yaser Toubasi, Internal Medicine Consultant and Head of Occupational Health at Ambulatory Healthcare Services-SEHA, said that the initiative motivated him to make more efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and protect society.
Dr. Mohamed Firas Shalaby, a general surgery specialist in Madinat Zayed Hospitals, one of the SEHA facilities, said that this gesture comes in appreciation of what the heroes of the first line of defence have made since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Dr. Firas Qadri Al Khatib, a specialist in general surgery at Madinat Zayed Hospitals, granting a golden residency to doctors, talents, investors, and top achievers in the UAE, is one of the highest honours for these groups and is an example of the appreciation and respect enjoyed by residents in the country.
Dr. Salima Wani, Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chair of Academic Affairs and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Corniche Hospital, said, “For me, the golden residency for doctors is like giving doctors a golden opportunity in appreciation of their work in providing healthcare to members of the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Dr. Michael George Uglow, a Consultant in Orthopaedics and Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, said, “I feel proud and grateful to be granted the golden residency in my second country, the UAE.” Several doctors working in Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi also expressed to WAM their gratitude for this generous initiative by the UAE.
Dr. Koshi Georgey, Consultant Cardiologist and Medical Director of Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi, said, “The UAE has always been at the forefront in this region for innovation and strategic planning, and is one of the most preferred countries in the world to live and work.”
“As doctors, we have seen the growth of the medical sector and the great leaps in it during the past few decades, which made the UAE a very desirable destination for professionals who practice medicine, as they receive the best of the world’s welcome and attention.”
As for Dr. Nabil Al-Dabouni, Medical Director of the VPS Group for Medical Care, the initiative will have a far-reaching impact on the medical sector in the country.
Source: Emirates News Agency