New law on transportation of livestock in UAE

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 31 July 2010

A legislation governing the safe transportation of livestock in the UAE will be issued soon by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW).

Aimed at further enforcing the existing laws and bylaws in regard to animal welfare in the country, the new regulation will specify implementation of separate methods of transportation for different types of animals, revealed the ministry sources.

The MoEW has urged various animal breeders and establishments in to the animal trade to strictly comply with the animal welfare regulations and implement additional measures to care the health of livestock.

As the temperatures continue at its peak levels, the ministry has intensified monitoring the establishments like animal farms, reproduction centres, and shops that sell domestic animals and pet fish and birds across the country to ensure their adherence to the laws.

According to a senior MoEW official, the veterinary clinics and hospitals, animal research institutes and zoos also should orientate their operations in line with the conditions for the animal protection and public health safety.

Mohammad Hassan Shamsi, Director of Livestock Development Department at the MoEW, said, “The legislation in the pipeline will strictly control livestock transportation means, with stringent punitive actions against offenders.”

“The regulation will outline the measures for their non-exposure to the soaring temperatures, and reducing chances of injuries or physical damages to the animals while transporting or loading or unloading them,” he added.

“The law also will require reduced speed of the transporting vehicles and as well as providing ample space considering the age, type, sex and behaviour of the animal,” said Shamsi.

He pointed out, “The federal of law No.16/2007 and the ministerial decree No. 384/2008 require the animal owners or breeders to provide the livestock with adequate quantities of safe food and drinking water, especially during the summer to prevent them from dehydration problems.”

According to him, the animal stables should be thoroughly clean and rid of harmful substances. Built with sufficient space, the stables also should give protection to the animals against erratic weather conditions.

“Perpetuating cruelty against animals, including unauthorised public exhibitions or competitions for commercial purposes like advertising and decoration, are also banned. Use of animals for scientific purposes without written permission from the environment ministry will also not be allowed,” Shamsi elaborated.

He also warned against trading or trafficking of sick, injured and unhealthy animals for human consumption, and mix of different types of meat.

“Illegal surgical and therapeutic interventions on the animals at veterinary health centres will also invite legal actions,” he added.

Shamsi asked the residents to buy animals only from markets authorised by the environment ministry, and not to opt for animals illegally traded by traffickers.

UAE ranks 11th on world medical tourism map

BY PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 30 July 2010

The UAE appears at the eleventh position among the countries identified with medical tourism, reveals a survey.

Meanwhile, about 94 per cent of medical tourism specialists in the country believe that they have yet to reach its full potential, said the survey carried out by a healthcare travel consultant in Dubai.

Architect of the survey and Chief of ExHealth Dr Prem Jagyasi said, "India has been ranked as the number one popular destination, as of the 35 countries identified in the survey as being significant healthcare tourism providers."

"Thailand and Singapore have been respectively positioned at second and third places, while the US had a surprise ranking at number four and the UAE came in at number 11," he pointed out.

According to him, the report shows that confusion, lack of information and fear about complications following surgery are the main reasons for patient reluctance to cross international borders for health services.

"Education is a vital component to facilitate medical tourism to reach its potential. People's fears on foreign treatments should be allayed, and potential health tourists should be guided with information and advice on visa and travel issues," elaborated Dr Jagyasi.

According to the survey, the Asian and Far Eastern countries are well-established medical tourism destinations, so the top three placings were expected.

"The US came in at number four, which wasn't anticipated. It could mean that there are as yet untapped opportunities for facilitators looking to incorporate this potentially lucrative market in their service provision," it detailed.

"The purpose of the health tourism survey was to gain valuable insights into aspects of medical tourism from professionals involved in the sector," noted Dr Jagyasi.

"About 95 per cent of the respondents to the survey identified themselves as being either directly or indirectly involved with healthcare travel in the scope of their work," he added.

According to him, the information gathered from them revealed facts concerning terms, trends, status, opportunities and challenges.

Dr Jagyasi said that the knowledge gleaned from the survey will be used to promote the healthcare sector and provide significant content for a soon-to-be published guidebook for consumers who are considering undertaking treatment abroad.

"When asked about the reluctance of patients to participate in healthcare tourism, the respondents expressed concerns about complications and confusion over available services," he explained.

(Images used for illustrative purpose)

Fujairah quarries produce 168 m tonnes stones annually

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 30 July 2010

The quarries in the emirate of Fujairah produce 168 million tonnes of rock piles per year, according to a survey conducted by the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW).

"Out of the total 103 stone quarries operational across the UAE, 68 crusher units are located in Fujairah, while the emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman are having 30 and five such establishments respectively," revealed the ministry.

The statistics have been provided after the federal authorities carried out surprise inspection visits to a number of stone crusher units in Fujairah.

"At least 14 such facilities have been checked by the MoEW inspectors during night time and punitive actions have been imposed on violators of environmental and public health safety regulations," said the MoEW sources.

"Some violating crusher units were found to be emitting excessive dust into the atmosphere, in the absence of an effective dust pollution control mechanism," it added.

"If the offenders fail to fix the violation or repeat it, the ministry will shut down the establishments."

The inspections have been conducted as part of the ministry's strategies to ensure that such industrial establishments are complying with environmental and public health safety regulations, said a spokesperson of the MoEW.

"The ministry recently intensified its procedures monitoring pollutions from the stone quarries aimed at preserving the natural resources and reducing environmental contaminants that cause negative impact on public health," he added.

According to him, Cabinet decision No.20/2008 specifies the regulations on facilities operating in the quarries and stone-crushing industry.

"A ministerial decision issued in 2010 defines the conditions on the functioning of stone quarries in the country," he added.

Dr Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, had said, "The decree focused on the guidelines for planning, operation and implementation of such industrial units."

"The regulations were also applicable to cement plants and factories, tiles and ceramics factories and marble industry units," he added.

The ministry had also classified quarries into three categories - green, yellow and red - in accordance with their adherence with safety and preventive systems aimed at reducing dust pollution.

"The red category quarries do not have dust control systems to reduce dust pollution. The ministry will take stringent actions against such operators who do not abide by the rules," said the minister.

"The stone mining and crushing units were regularly monitored by the environment ministry to ensure maximum adherence of the sites to the regulations on environmental protection health and safety measures," said Bin Fahad.

The ministry has been taking punitive measures against many quarries upon negligence of public health safety conditions. Many of them had no equipments to limit dust emissions.

(Images, upplied by MOEW)

Man with high-risk cardiac disorder gets new lease of life

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 29 July 2010

A SYRIAN man got a new lease of life after treatment from a rare high-risk cardiac disorder that throws most patients to the clutches of death.

On July 15, Adnan Bahaa El Din was speaking to his wife over the phone in Syria while he was alone at home in Sharjah. In a couple of minutes he felt something unusual in his chest.

When it worsened suddenly, El Din was hurriedly taken to Al Qassimi hospital, and was admitted to the emergency ward. His condition turned out to be highly serious and doctors decided to perform a surgical procedure on him.

El Din went into coma and the doctors detected that he suffered from a severe ravishment of the aorta artery inner wall.

Cardiac specialists at the hospital said that El Din suffered from a sudden and unusual high blood pressure leading to the severe cardiac disorder coupled with a heart stroke and partial paralysis caused by thrombosis.

"The case was one of the high risk and critical conditions, where about 20 per cent of the patients die immediately," remarked Dr Santosh Mathew, consultant and head of cardiology surgery, at Al Qassimi Hospital.

"El Din [underwent] an open heart surgery that lasted for more than six hours, as his disorders were diagnosed by ultrasound and CT scan," he added.

"A team consisting of seven doctors, a heart device technician and two specialist cardiac nurses performed the surgical procedures on the patient, who had blood clots on the heart with increased blood flow," noted Dr Mathew.

El Din has been working in the UAE as a teacher, after living long years in the USA.

According to Dr Mohamed Abdul Aziz, consultant cardiologist at Al Qassimi Hospital, "high blood pressure, smoking habit and obesity are the main reasons for the higher prevalence of cardiac diseases in the UAE."

Bird's eye view of the UAE to mark 1st year of DubaiSat-1 launch

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 29 July 2010

The brains behind the development of DubaiSat-1, the masterpiece techno advancement of the UAE, are celebrating today the first anniversary of the satellite’s successful launch.
The UAE’s first earth observation satellite blasted off into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome space centre in Kazakhstan at 4.30 pm local time on July 29 last year.

Developed by the scientists at the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST), the DubaiSat1 has facilitated the UAE in planning and executing a wide variety of programmes with potential impacts.

According to the scientists, the moon landing was a huge leap for humanity, while DubaiSat-1 was a huge leap for the UAE's science and technology initiatives, and the nation's aspirations.

“It was the first chapter of a big successful story. It was the result of months of challenges, planning and dedication right up until the day of implementation, which was a wondrous success,” they remarked.

An official at the EIAST said that the satellite was the country’s own steps towards implementing solutions for environment-related issues such as detecting oil spills, monitoring land contamination, and meteorological applications like observation of fog, sand and dust storms.

In celebration of the first anniversary of the country’s first remote sensing satellite, the (EIAST) has released on Wednesday a mosaic image of the UAE.

Ahmed Al Mansoori, Director General of the EIAST, said that the image is a collection of over 40 scenes taken by DubaiSat-1 throughout the year.

“All the images have been amalgamated together to create a spectacular mosaic of the UAE as observed from space with the support of advanced image processing and fusion techniques,” he added.

“The mosaic shows over 150 kilometres of the country’s coastal area spanning from Umm Al Quwain up to Abu Dhabi and 70 kilometres of the inland areas such as Al Madam and Al Lisali,” elaborated Al Mansoori.

According to him, the images reflect the UAE’s progress in infrastructure development and advancement of the scientific and technological skills.

Ahmed Al Mansoori recollected that the Dubai Sat-1’s launch was very complicated, especially in light of the possibility of not succeeding because these types of projects need full readiness of equipment associated with the launch pad.

"Delays in satellite launches are frequent and linked to the final results of the tests carried out by a team of scientists and experts,” he added.

At the time of the launch, Al Mansoori said, “we were looking forward to a seamless implementation and hence the nominal delay in the launch of the satellite. Finally, the launch process of DubaiSat-1 was completed successfully.”

“The achievements by EIAST highlights the UAE’s success in leveraging the advanced technology sector, and underscores the capabilities of young Emiratis to actively participate in new and advanced realms of technology,” he remarked.

The EIAST chief noted that the success of DubaiSat-1 during the first operational year is testament to the science and technology centres’ capability to translate the strategic direction and overall development plans to drive the knowledge-based economy.

“Efforts are being continued to develop the EIAST as a global recognised institution and a national icon in science and innovation,” he added.

Adnan Mohammed Al Rais, Associate Research Engineer of DubaiSat1, said that the research projects of the satellite included infrastructure development for urban and rural planning, civil development and construction.

“The DubaiSat1 helped us observe water quality, especially the water surrounding desalination plants, as well as monitoring water resources, land cover or land change detection for vegetation, landscaping and desertification,” he added.

According to him, applications for land development and engineering, and survey (GIS) projects were part of the DubaiSat-1, which also facilitated management of disasters such as floods and droughts, earthquakes and accidental pollution.

Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, EIAST Board Chairman, said the launch of DubaiSat-1 consisted of two segments, including space and ground. The space segment comprised the development, design and manufacture of satellite equipment and components of the measurement and imaging.

"Meanwhile, the ground segment included the mission control station, image receiving and processing station, antenna and RF sub-system. Images from the satellite can be used for a variety of applications from urban development, scientific research, telecommunications and transportation to civil engineering, constructions, mapping and GIS," he explained.

Al Mansoori said that the EIAST is mandated with promoting the development of a knowledge-based economy, and drive sustainable development and economic growth in the Emirates and beyond.

“The agency also champions the effective use of highly sophisticated technologies and accurate spatial information for a variety of applications.”

“The EIAST’s four-fold agenda included promoting the culture of advanced scientific research and technology innovation in Dubai and the UAE, and creating an internationally competitive base for human skills development,” added the agency’s director general.

“It also aimed at positioning Dubai and the UAE as a science and technology development hub among advanced nations and establishing global collaborative links and joint projects with industry and research organisations,” he explained.

Al Mansoori said, “The EIAST has already begun work on the specifications for DubaiSat-3, while the work on DubaiSat-2 continues at full pace for its potential launch by end of 2012.”

Established by a Dubai Government decree in 2006, the EIAST focused on four main scientific programmes including space, astronomy, energy and environment and water research.
(Image Credit: EISAT) 

Flashing the ‘Hollywood smile’

By PMA RASHEED 

The Gulf Today, 27 July 2010

MANY are envious of charming smiles that blossom on the movie and TV screens or on the cover of a glossy magazine.

People wonder how is it that Hollywood stars and models possess the perfect smile that a regular person may lack.
According to a dentistry expert, all the amazing smiles that steal your heart may not be gifted by birth. Talented cosmetic dentists design the stunning smiles just for the Hollywood stars.
The treatment for the celebrity smile has now reached Ajman, as the UAE’s first private teaching hospital, the Gulf Medical College (GMC) Hospital and Research Centre, has unveiled a super specialty dental centre at its premises on Sunday.
“Apart from the beauty elevation, the treatment is meant for a fully functional and comfortable set of teeth adorned in your mouth,” said Dr Sameer Kumar, associate director of GMC Super Specialty Dental Centre.
Smile for all
“Anybody can enjoy a dazzling Hollywood smile with the help of cosmetic dentists and porcelain veneers. It’s simply the perfect union of the teeth’s form, position, proportion, alignment and colour,” he added.
“‘Hollywood smiles’ are achieved by using a combination of all or some of the following: Tooth whitening, crowns, veneers, and orthodontics. To create a Hollywood smile, we apply a combination of dental treatments such as tooth whitening, crowns, veneers, and orthodontics,” elaborated Dr Sameer.
“The beautiful smiles are within the reach of modern dentistry,” remarked B Ahmed Hajee Mohiudeen, chairman of BA Group in India and patron of the GMC healthcare facilities.
While inaugurating the modern dental care facility, he added, “We introduce the advanced medical treatment to create beautiful smiles on the face of the residents in the Northern Emirates of the UAE.”
Sydney B Chikoti, CEO of Medical Aid Society of Malawi in Africa, was the chief guest at the centre’s inaugural ceremony.
Dental specialties
Thumbay Moideen, president of Thumbay Group and the GMC Hospital Group, said, “The state-of-the-art dental facility will provide all dental modalities as well as diverse dental specialities under one roof.”
“With the addition of this new dental centre, the GMC Hospital hopes that the patients will have even greater access to first-grade health care and dentistry right next door,” he added.
Akbar Moideen Thumbay, director of the GMC Hospital, said that the super speciality dental centre is supported by the College of Dentistry of Gulf Medical College University.
“Apart from the Hollywood smile treatment, other services focused at the centre include child dentistry, cosmetic facial surgery, Periodontal splint, Orthodontic Braces, oral surgery and general dental treatment and therapies,” he explained.
“The centre will focus on dental tourism, especially for patients from Africa, East Europe, the UK and the US,” said Akbar.
(Image used for illustrative purpose) 

Turtle migration path in the Gulf seas revealed

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 26 July 2010

NEW evidence of turtle migration patterns in the Middle Eastern seas have been revealed through the movements of a pack of turtles that were tagged and released to the sea recently by a UAE-based environmental group.

Findings of the group’s marine environment project have highlighted the significance of the Gulf as a Hawksbill feeding habitat. The tagged turtles disproved scientific theories that have existed for years, say scientists.

The preliminary results of marine turtle tagging project, initiated by the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWF-WWF) and the Marine Research Foundation (MRF) based in Malaysia, showed that Qatar is an important conservation area for the endangered marine species.

According to the environment group, the project seeks to track the migration patterns of 75 Hawksbill turtles over the course of three years through satellite mapping software.

Dr Nicolas J Pilcher, founder of the MRF and research advisor of the EWF-WWF for the project, said that the movements of 20 turtles tagged in Iran, Oman, the UAE and Qatar have already been recorded and initial findings have uncovered interesting results.

“The southern shores off Iran boast some of the most abundant soft corals and reef formations attracting Hawksbill turtles, but currently the turtles have swum away towards other countries,” she added.

“The five turtles in Iran were tagged in April and data shows that all of them have moved west and southwest towards Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Two have currently inhabited islands to the north of Abu Dhabi,” pointed out Dr Pilcher.

“Another two turtles in the group have swam towards the northern tip of Qatar, with one of those taking up residence in feeding grounds about 50 kilometres off Doha and the other settling off Qatar’s north coast by Ras Riken. The fifth Iran-tagged turtle swam past Qatar and Bahrain and now appears to have settled off the shores of the KSA,” elaborated the marine biologist.

“Meanwhile,” Dr Pilcher said, “the turtles nesting in Oman seas spent less time as residents and more time traveling - many of them as much as 1500 kilometres. Three of them headed south towards Masirah Island.”

“The turtle with the No.53003 seems to be a little more curious than the others and is the first Hawksbill Turtle recorded to swim up into the Gulf from Oman,” she added.

Lisa Perry, programme director of the EWS-WWF, said, “It has been believed by many scientists that the smaller size of the Gulf turtles compared to the larger Omani turtles and genetic isolation meant that there was no movement between populations.”

The first turtle tagged in the UAE, ‘Ms. EMEG,’ was released off the mainland shore of Jebel Ali just a couple of kilometers from Palm Jebel Ali.

“We were concerned the female turtle would get caught in offshore construction but when we tracked her movements, she headed deeper into the Gulf and missed both the Palm and World developments and headed straight up to Sharjah and Ajman,” she added.

“In Qatar, the turtle ‘Q’ made a purposeful migration south and has made the corner between the KSA, Qatar and the UAE its home. The other four turtles have taken up residence off the coast off Qatar, close to Bahrain and KSA,” said Dr Pilcher.

“But, none of the turtles took up residence on the east side of the Gulf, instead all of them went west or south,” added the marine turtle specialist.

“As the project develops, we will be able to delineate the important areas that turtles frequent and work towards the further conservation of these habitats,” said Dr Pilcher.