NEWS FROM THE U.A.E.
Excerpts from UAE Dailies

UAE gets new Indian Consul General

NEW DELHI — 12 April 2006: The Indian embassy in the UAE is soon going to get a new Consul-General of India. The CGI in attendance Yash Sinha has been transferred out and is being replaced by the joint secretary of UNP Sanjiv Arora, the 1984 batch Indian Foreign Service official.

Arora would look after the CGI’s well-expanded activities in the consular jurisdiction of Dubai and the five Northern Emirates of Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, Ras Al Khaima and Fujairah, top officials from the ministry of external affairs told this correspondent here.

Meanwhile, Sinha is being sent on a foreign assignment, possibly as an ambassador, for which no formal decision has been taken by the ministry. However, the decision on reallocation of ranks has already been considered by the top brass led by foreign secretary Shyam Saran.

Arora is to join his new assignment shortly.

Khaleej Times

GAHS orders closure of many private health care centres in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI — 12 April 2006:Local health authorities have closed down several private healthcare centres in the capital for committing breaches against private medical practice laws and regulations enforced in the country. The closure decision came close on the heels of inspection visits paid by the authorities to 20 private medical centres operating in the capital.

The General Authority for Health Services for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (GAHS) has decided to close down nine private medical centres in Abu Dhabi for non-compliance with the healthcare standards set by the authority for this sector, said Dr Ahmed Al Mazroui, GAHS General Director. “The decision was taken in line with the authority directives to make sure all healthcare centres abide by quality assurance criteria that target the safety of patients,” stated Dr Mazroui. The closure could be temporary and these centres could resume work after the lapse of one month once the detected violations were cleared. Dr Mazroui said nine other centres have been notified to stick to the criteria set by the authority to provide quality private medical services.

Concerning the violations, Zaid Al Suksuk, Director of Health Planning and Monitoring at GAHS, said some of the penalised centres were used as accommodations, while others were located in dilapidated buildings posing a danger to the safety of patients and the working staff. Some of the medical devices at these centres were very old and of a poor quality. Besides, they lack official documents on maintenance and regular examination, he said. He said other centres were operating with expired licences for a period of about six months.

Breaches included non-compliance with measures required to combat communicable diseases, whereby some centres did not meet the conditions set to protect patients against contagious ailments, he said. He said some of the violating centres used to deal in herbal medicines and creams that do not carry expiry dates, as well as selling medicines that were not registered. He said some of them were employing unlicensed doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

Patient records at some of the closed centres were written in neither Arabic nor English, as the staff were ignorant about both the languages, said Suksuk. This has made it impossible to follow up the medical history and medications of patients, he said.

He said re-classification of private medical services and medications provided by private healthcare centres, have been recommended.

KHALEEJ TIMES