Sheikh Khalifa

The quality of mercy is not strain’d, Shakespeare says in his classic Merchant of Venice. Nor is the quality of generosity, aid for the distressed, succour for the needy. The UAE does not only believe in these virtues but also practises them. The gracious and benevolent act of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyanis a sterling example. The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces offered to undertake the treatment of an Emirati woman, 24, who slipped into a coma during a botched surgery recently in Dubai.

According to reports, the father of the patient was contacted by officials from the Crown Prince Court and was told his daughter would be flown abroad for treatment.

The Emirati woman slipped into a coma due to medical negligence that led to cardiac arrest and brain damage.

The Dubai Health Authority banned the two doctors who were involved in the procedure.

Rendering help to the Emirati woman is not the only act of benevolence that Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed has carried out. He has also been making all-out efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan among other charitable activities.

Sheikh Khalifa (centre), Sheikh Mohammed and Mohamed Bin Zayed.


A January report said the UAE has provided over 371.1 million units of polio vaccines to more than 57 million Pakistani children between 2014 and December 2018, through its anti-polio drive in the country, under the UAE-Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE-PAP.

The UAE-PAP was launched under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The campaign is part of the efforts to eradicate polio in the world. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed donated $167 million (Dhs613.31 million) to eradicate poliomyelitis and provide vaccines for children, especially in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Praise for Sheikh Mohamed’s humanitarian gestures has come from no less a figure than Bill Gates.

On his official Twitter account, Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said, “The world’s historic progress to #endpolio would not be possible without the strong commitment of partners like His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.’’ Bill Gates made the remarks following the launch of the Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023, which will guide the programme and its partners to overcome the final hurdles to eradication and move towards sustaining a polio-free future.

The Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023 will be discussed at the upcoming 2019 World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on 20 May.

Sheikh Mohamed’s actions simply reflect the large-heartedness of the Emirates’ leaders when it comes to rescuing people from the abyssal depths of suffering. Recently, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan sent a relief plane to Tehran carrying 95 tonnes of relief items to support those affected by the floods as part of the joint UAE-Saudi initiative to alleviate the suffering of Iranians.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, generously offered his private plane, a B747, to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance to those most affected by a cyclone in Mozambique.

Offering help to those who need it most is a value that cuts across all faiths. So let’s emulate our leaders and make it our plank to offer assistance to those in dire straits as much as we can.