NEWS FROM THE U.A.E.
Excerpts from UAE Dailies
Health insurance scheme comes into effect today
Abu Dhabi: 01 July: Phase 1 of the national health insurance scheme comes into effect on Saturday, covering more than 750,000 people under the mandatory plan.
All government and semi-government institutions as well as private companies with more than 1,000 employees must provide this health insurance for their employees.
The insurance will be applicable to all expatriates residing or working in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Companies which do not provide the coverage will be penalised, as described by the health insurance plan bylaw which was approved by the Executive Council.
Under the terms of the law, employees and their dependents, including spouse and three children under the age of 18, will be covered by this health insurance by their employer.
The General Authority for Health Services in Abu Dhabi has approved six health insurance providers for private and public sector organisations for the national health insurance scheme.
Daman, the first specialised national health insurance company, has been appointed the authorised health insurance provider for all public sector organisations, and will also provide coverage for private companies.
Package
- Minimum required health insurance package costs Dh600, as subsidised by the government
- Package covers outpatient and inpatient costs, emergency services and chronic diseases
- Three categories: Low-income residents and their dependents and those whose monthly salaries are less than Dh3,000 with accommodation; those with salary of Dh4,000 without accommodation; emergency policy.
GULF NEWS
A day makes a big difference
Abu Dhabi: 01 July : The new Friday-Saturday weekend will lead to higher efficiencies, officials in government departments have said.
The new weekend will synchronise both public and private sectors in the country, and will be closer to harmonising with the outside world, they said, adding that it would lead to improved results.
All government departments, including ministries and government-owned companies will fall in line with government directives to shift their weekend to Friday-Saturday from September 1. Most countries globally have a Saturday-Sunday weekend.
"The new weekend seems better as it will be harmonised with the local private sector. It will also be closer to harmonising with the outside world," said Arif Al Fara'a, Economic Consultant, Ministry of Economy and Planning.
"Instead of a loss of four working days it will be just three days, and due to the larger window of working days with the outside world, it could increase efficiency and a lot more can be accomplished by the government sector."
A spokesman from Adnoc said the new weekend made little difference to most employees from a personal perspective, but from the business perspective it made sense to switch to a Friday-Saturday weekend.
"As a large oil company, we lost four days with the Western world but now it is reduced to three days and this is better. We do a lot of business with the outside world."
Employees in the government sector welcomed the move saying weekends would be better when aligned with the private sector.
"We are looking forward to the new weekend because many of our friends work in the private sector and they have Friday-Saturday as weekend. Now it is going to be the same for us," said Fatima Al Muhairy, who works in the Ministry of Finance and Industry.
But Saeed Al Shehi of Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company said government employees had become accustomed to the Thursday-Friday weekend.
Whether employees like it or not, the move is a "rational decision", said Steve Brice, Senior Economist, Standard Chartered Bank. "The aim is for the UAE to be closer to the international community and the UAE is a regional hub for a lot of businesses."
GULF NEWS
Dubai to spend Dh74b on transport system
Dubai: 01 July: The Dubai Government will spend Dh74 billion to boost to its road network and public transport system.
A strategic plan was unveiled on Friday that will put in place modern and integrated road network and public transport system and cater to the existing and future development requirements in the emirate until 2020.
The highlight of the Dubai Strategic Plan is a multi-tier public transport system that includes expansion of Dubai Metro in addition to introducing tram services.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has reviewed the plan and has given his consent for its implementation, WAM reported.
Mattar Al Tayer, Board Chairman and Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), briefed Shaikh Mohammad on the plan and gave detailed presentations on Dubai's transport policies until 2020 and sources of funding the project.
Of the Dh74 billion outlay, the government will spend Dh44 billion on road infrastructure and Dh30 billion for the integrated public transport system.
The plan includes construction of new roads with a total length of 500km, more than 95 new interchanges and improving the existing road network in Dubai.
GULF NEWS
Dress code fails to curb nudity in hotel health clubs
Dubai: 01 July: Nudity in public is prohibited in the UAE but people getting fully undressed in health clubs run by luxury hotels is a bare fact.
Notices in health clubs telling guests not to cast off their clothes completely in common areas often go unheeded, Gulf News has learnt.
This practice is wide-spread in locker rooms, health club users say.
"While some remove their clothes in the process of changing, there are also those who stand naked for minutes and indulge in trivial activities like spraying cologne under their armpits," said one person.
UAE lawyer Mohammad Al Rokn says it is a punishable offence to "undress fully in a public place in front of others whether male or female."
"A person doing so can be jailed for not less than six months under the UAE penal code," he told Gulf News.
While most hotels allow common use of gyms and swimming pools, other facilities like locker room, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi are located in separate sections for men and women.
"These are all public places. In some cultures public nudity may be acceptable but it is against UAE traditions, customs and the Sharia law," Al Rokn said.
The lawyer himself once complained to the management of a health club about the problem and asked the hotel to put up a notice warning people against undressing in public areas.
An official at Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the organisation that regulates the city's hotel industry, confirmed the law.
"Surely it is illegal. We will take action if we receive any official complaint," he said.
Most health clubs do have notices that advise people to 'dress appropriately,' but they do not state clearly that nudity violates the law.
One notice displayed in a health club reads: "It is not permitted to stay completely undressed in any open part of the changing area, locker room [and] leisure area, including the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna."
Barely two yards away from the spot, a couple of men stood naked.
When pointed out why the hotel instructions were not being followed, a front desk assistant shrugged.
"There are always some people who just don't listen. We cannot do much about that. It's the same story in the ladies' section," she said.
When a few Arab women complained about nudity in the women's section, they were told by a Russian woman that it was not their problem whether she was dressed in the locker room or not.
"Westerners usually do not listen," said the attendant. But the problem seems to cover all ethnic and cultural groups.
"They have all dropped their inhibitions. You can hear them talking in Hindi, Farsi and Arabic," said a regular at a health club.
GULF NEWS
Hands-free phone devices in demand
DUBAI — 01 July: The demand for hands-free phone devices has gone up in and around Dubai due to the recent police warning prohibiting the use of mobile phones while driving.
Supporting the 'Nokia Hands Free' road safety campaign, Dubai Police issued the warning on June 6 this year.
Brigadier Essa Aman Obaid, Deputy Director of Traffic, Dubai Police, said motorists who drive while holding their phones will be reprimanded and stricter measures were being considered.
As a result, various providers around Dubai have the sales perspective in mind as the demand for hands-free devices such as the Bluetooth technology earpieces shoot up.
"Sales for the Bluetooth devices have increased tremendously since the law prohibiting drivers from using hand-held mobile phones came into force," said Aldrin Tobias, Showroom Supervisor at CelluCom, Emirates Mall.
Tobias stated that when customers bought Bluetooth devices, they often said that they needed it specifically for driving. He added that CelluCom, among other stores, sold the Bluetooth device with an offer on a phone. He said that this was being done especially for big phones that can't be held while driving.
At Jumbo Electronics, Sales Representative Arnold Melendres echoed the same idea as Tobias, stating that customers came in for the devices requesting them for driving.
Like Tobias, Melendres also added that the devices were being sold as part of promotions and that they were practically free with offers. At Axiom Telecom, Omar Azeez, the Showroom Supervisor, noted that customers also wanted the devices for driving.
On a personal note, Azeez added that he believes requiring hands-free devices will dramatically bring down the number of accidents. "If you see the people driving with the phones in their hands, they drive all over," said Azeez who commutes daily to Dubai from Sharjah.
"I don't currently use a headset while driving, because I don't think the problem is in holding the phone," said Joud Odeh, an Electrical Engineering student at the American University of Sharjah. "It doesn't matter if you're driving with one hand, the problem is that what you hear while being on the phone distracts you, not holding it," added the 18-year-old.
UAE per capita statistics show that the country has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. In 2004, road fatalities totalled 17 per month. But last year it reached 20 per month and in the first four months of 2006, it has risen to an average of 26 per month.
KHALEEJ TIMES
Expats will sit new driving course to improve safety
Dubai - 01 July : A special “Welcome to Dubai” driving course is being designed for expa triates to take part in before they are allowed to drive in the city.
At present foreign nationals from 35 coun tries are simply allowed to swap their licence for a Dubai version in exchange for completing paperwork and a fee.
But under plans being drawn up by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), they will first have to run through a “familiarisation” driving lesson before being hand ed a licence.
Essa Al Dosari, the RTA’s Licensing Dep artment Director, said that it was not a case of them not believing expats were not good drivers, it was simply that they want ed to make them familiar with the way the city’s road network operates.
He said that safety was not the only issue and that there were cultural differences that had to be appreciated by people new to Dubai before they could go out on to the open road.
Al Dosari said: “It is more about making people familiar with the local conditions, because every country has a different approach and a different culture.” Curently the citizens of some 35 countries such as the United States, Canada, and countries in the Far East and Europe have an agreement with the UAE, which means that their nationals do not have to pass a new test here.
Drivers on the roads of Dubai yesterday welcomed the idea and said anything that made the city safer was a step in the right direction.
Sheb Fattah, 28, said: “I had three crashes in one week and they were not my fault. It is often the case that people arrive, get a licence, start driving and have a crash.” Marcus Norris, a 44-yearold British expat, said: “I would say this is the most obvious yet simple way to improve the driving here. People should be told about how to drive in Dubai before they are allowed to do so.” Al Dosari said a detailed study of the way licences are issued here is currently taking place and many things were being looked at.
The study’s main objective is to help authorities improve the output of the emirate’s driving schools, he said.
Al Dosari admitted that the current system needs a revamp as some schools are not performing to the required standard.
The study is expected to help the authorities formulate policies on a whole range of issues – from manuals used at driving schools to the quality of instructors and examiners.
EMIRATES TODAY
New scanning traps drugs smugglers
Dubai - 01 July: Customs officials at Dubai International Airport have hailed the success of their new digital scanning equipment in their crackdown against drug smugglers arriving at the busy airport.
Mohammed Al Mansoori, executive director of customs relations at Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation said there had been more cases of drugs being confiscated due to the new equipment which was installed late last year.
He said: “The new scanning system has been extremely successful.
“I cannot give any figures at the moment for 2006, but the equipment at the airport is specially designed to detect drugs hidden in luggage or on the body, so it is now much more difficult for drugs smugglers.” Drugs smuggling was on top of the list of arrests at the airport in 2005 and Al Mansoori said heroin topped the list of banned substances, followed by cocaine, ecstasy and hashish.
Dubai Police’s antinarcotics cell, which works at the airport, said it has successfully caught several devious drug smugglers from mainly Asian countries, including India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, using the latest surveillance and digital scanning equipment.
Several Asian passengers who were hiding illicit drugs in their stomachs or other body parts were trapped with the help of the modern surveillance technology.
Hospital sources have confirmed that there is an increase in the number of patients needing medical supervision to remove smuggled banned drugs from their bodies, either surgically or through natural means.
Once caught, the drugs smugglers are arrested and transferred to government hospitals where medical experts oversee the removal of the banned substances.
EMIRATES TODAY
Workers and families bear the brunt of longer working hours
Dubai - 01 July: Dubai’s fast rate of development means professionals in a number of industries – from hotels to construction and from financial consultation to delivery driving – are working increasingly long hours.
And while statistics on the issue are hard to obtain, anecdotal evidence from a crosssection of professionals employed in the private sector suggests that Dubai workers are spending more time earning a living than ever before.
One recruitment agency professional, who did not want to be named, said: “You hear this a lot in the city, more and more people are complaining that they have to do overtime.” Shama Parveen, a human resource manager with a computer software firm, expressed a similar opinion: “It’s not just me, all my friends who work here complain that they have to work long hours. More and more people I know get into the habit of just making their work their lives. It is a very dangerous trend, but it does happen here.
“I increasingly see colleagues putting in a longer number of hours,” she said.
An engineer working with a big construction company in Dubai said he works in a 7am to 6pm shift, six days a week, as the company’s clients want to see their project completed within the shortest possible time.
Meenakshi Sharma, a public relations manager, is another person who puts in more than eight hours a day.
“At home I never worked for more than eight hours. Out here, even 12 hours are not enough,” said Sharma, who worked for 13 years in India before coming to the UAE.
“There is so much competition here that people are not secure about their jobs, so to keep their jobs intact they end up putting in extra hours,” she said.
A British female journalist who requested anonymity said: “I used to have a life back home in the United Kingdom. Out there I used to work for a certain number of hours but here I just don’t have a life anymore. It begins and ends in the office. My children are being neglected and my husband feels deserted. But this is the pace of life here whether we like it or not.” And it is not just the professionals who are working longer hours. Even the blue collar workers seem to be caught in the rat race.
With 12-hour shifts every day but Friday, the city’s taxi drivers probably spend the most time working.
“While cab drivers are not required to put in this many hours, high targets mean they have to spend long hours behind the wheel,” said a driver with National Taxi, who wished to remain anonymous.
He said the situation gets worse in the summer as many expatriates are on their annual holidays, making it harder for drivers to find customers.
However, while some amount of overtime is required, safety experts are warning that long hours at work can lower productivity and increase turnover and safety risks due to human error.
EMIRATES TODAY