NEWS FROM THE UAE
Media Excerpts
Frontier Guards Arrest Infiltrators on Border
Abu Dhabi - Feb 11: The Armed Forces` Frontier Guards arrested 12 infiltrators of various nationalities from Sunday to Monday morning.
The infiltrators, who were arrested while they were trying to enter the country illegally, have been detained pending trial.
The move is part of a national campaign to put an end to the phenomenon.
WAM/TF
Speed biggest cause of violation
Sharjah - Feb. 11:THE number of traffic violations that occurred during the last year reached 89, 4719 according to Sharjah Police annual report published recently.
According to the report majority of violations were caused by cars and motorbikes. Excessive speed detected by radar was responsible for 66 per cent of breach.
Parking cars in unauthorised areas came second with 4.4 per cent violations. 3.1 per cent for failing to abide by traffic signals, 2.4 per cent for over passing other cars from the shoulder side of the road.
Lesser violation were registered for failing to drive within the lanes, driving in reserve in a risky way and the expiry of the car license.
Failing to abide by traffic rules and signals and their illegal passage in unauthorised areas, overloading the truck or the fall of the loaded items while the truck is moving were among the main violations made by trucks.
Colonel Abdullah Mubarak Al Dokhan, Deputy Director of Sharjah Police and the Director of the Operations Room Directorate attributed the traffic jams to neglecting traffic signals and laws. He added that Sharjah government is sparing no efforts in eradicating any problem that adversely affect the traffic situation.
"We are conducting intensive campaigns to ensure that motorists are strictly following the traffic rules and that they are driving carefully and cautiously without causing inconvenience to others." Colonel Al Dokhan explained.
GULF TODAY
Parents to bear the cost burden
Sharjah - Feb. 11: THE fare for buses transporting students of Sharjah to Dubai based schools is likely to increase soon as the transport firms in all probability will transfer their financial burden created through a new rule of the Sharjah Transport.
A group of parents met authorities of Sharjah Transport on the Sunday morning but the authorities did not concede the demands, making it clear before the guardians that the companies not entering into an agreement with the Sharjah Transport could not transport their children from Sharjah to Dubai.
Sharjah Transport authorities reasoned that any transport company which is not registered in Sharjah could not do business outside the emirate and hence it could not pick up students in Dubai, sources said.
They also brushed aside allegations of transport companies that prior information was not given to them before the rule was put into practice.
The authorities said that notices were being published in different newspapers for the last six months and hence it was wrong to say that they were not informed about the rule and its implementation well in advance.
Transport companies wishing to transport students from Sharjah to Dubai based schools should get road permits from the Sharjah Transport by paying Dhs1250 (Dhs1000 for vehicle and Dhs.250 for driver), authorities elaborated, adding that the permission would be valid for six months.
They said that the transport companies could also open their branch offices in Sharjah as an alternative.
The authorities said that transport buses should keep two buses in surplus to take care of any situation marked by break down or any other eventuality.
They said that buses could be hired from other transport companies after obtaining the necessary permission from Sharjah Transport but drivers from outside firms could not be hired.
The manager of a transport company said that the fare for school buses has to be increased if the transport firms have to earn profit and survive in the market.
Monika Shah whose child studies in the Indian High School in Dubai said that she is apprehending that the transport company would increase the bus fare in current situation.
She said that her family was anyhow withstanding the inflationary pressures and now increase in the bus fare would compound the problem.
Another guardian, K. Pujari said that transport companies are only interested in increasing the fare and asked them to start "serious discussions" with the transport authorities so that they could be stopped from implementing the new rule.
He said that only parents will suffer in all these situations and wondered why transport companies are making such hue and cry over the imposition of fines on them when even individuals are being fined hefty amount for various reasons.
GULF TODAY
Successful surgeries at SKMC
Abu Dhabi - Feb. 11: THE first two kidney transplantation surgeries at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Abu Dhabi were performed recently on a 50-year-old Indian and a 35-year-old Filipino, both UAE residents.
The transplantation surgeries performed by Dr Abrar Khan, the newly appointed director of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery has proved successful on both the patients who left the hospital within a week of their surgeries.
The first patient received his kidney from his wife while the thirty five year old Phillipino received from his sister.
Speaking at a press conference at SKMC, on Sunday, Dr Abrar Khan said, "Starting with two kidney transplants in a week indicates that we have the infrastructure to perform at least two transplants a week."
"This capacity will be expanded very soon and with the support of the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and the senior administration at SKMC we will be able to create a multiorgan transplant programme that will compete any other in the United States or Europe," Dr Khan observed.
Moreover both donor operations were done laparoscopically. Further in line with the HAAD strategy and under the supervision of SEHA, the SKMC recently initiated the development of a comprehensive multi organ transplant programme that includes liver, pancreas, heart, lung and small bowel transplantation.
"Our medical team will be providing complete care for transplant patients including pre-operative workup for recipients and donors, hospital admissions, operative care, past operative care and immuno-suppressive drugs that are necessary to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ," Dr Ouriel, CEO of SKMC said.
Further, Dr Abrar Khan and the transplantation team are considered as the first permanent team fully dedicated to organ transplantation in the Capital.
The new programme will enable patients to be treated in the UAE rather than sending them abroad for treatment as well as reducing the period of renal dialysis.
"A transplant is always easier for the patient and quite safer in the long run than dialysis," observed Dr Ouriel.
Moreover this was also the judgement of the two kidney recipients who were on dialysis for four and two years respectively.
Dr Ali Al Obaidli, Clinical Affairs director at SEHA said that though a kidney transplantation was done in the capital in 1984, what was performed at SKMC could be termed as a solid programme with all details providing quality on par with international standards and with a permananent team who will be able to see the patients frequently.
Meanwhile Dr Scott Strong, chief medical officer at SKMC observed that the goal of the Multi Organ Transplant programme is to reduce the medical requirement for overseas travel and to provide world class transplantation services to all UAE residents.
"Further it will enable family members to participate in the wellness process before and after surgery, for health statistics show that the family is a vital part of the healing process and SKMC and SEHA are happy to provide this service within the community," he added.
GULF TODAY