MBRGI reveals that its Healthcare & Disease Control projects benefited 7.5 million globally in 2019
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) announced its Healthcare and Disease Control projects and programmes touched the lives of 7.5 million people across the world in 2019, with a total spending of AED118 million. The Foundation’s numerous Healthcare and Disease Control initiatives and programmes work to eradicate infectious diseases that threaten wellbeing and hinder development in disadvantaged societies, through providing medical services to the most vulnerable groups, such as women, children and the elderly. The two main entities, Al Jalila Foundation and Noor Dubai, lead MBRGI’s Healthcare & Disease Control efforts.
Noor Dubai’s work focuses on preventing blindness and visual impairment in developing countries regionally and internationally, while Al Jalila Foundation strives to develop medical treatment capabilities within the UAE and abroad, in addition to supporting education and research in medical science.
In 2019, MBRGI has expanded the scope of its Healthcare & Disease Control work to include financing medical research that seeks to develop innovative treatments and improve the healthcare sector in developing countries across the world.
Health as top priority
His Excellency Saeed Al Eter, Assistant Secretary General of MBRGI, said, “Healthcare is the cornerstone of societies. The numerous initiatives and projects that aim to combat diseases and support the health sector in disadvantaged communities are central to the Foundation’s work. Under this vision, we aim to create healthy and productive societies that, in turn, enhances social stability and achieves sustainable development in countries across the globe.”
He added, “Healthcare today tops the list of priorities to drive economies and politics. The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic prompts us to invest more in our healthcare initiatives and campaigns on a local and global scale. Through a futuristic vision, we started to tackle health challenges in strategic partnerships with research institutions and medical centers across the globe.”
Al Eter noted, “The values of solidarity that the UAE adopts through supporting the health sector in countries with scarce resources the reflect long-standing priority that the UAE founders have placed on health since the country’s foundation.”
Better health for a better life
Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of Noor Dubai, said, “Noor Dubai has stood out for its treatment, rehabilitation and empowerment programmes to maintain eye health.”
“Since its inception, Noor Dubai has envisioned a world free from avoidable causes of blindness. To eradicate all types of avoidable blindness, the Foundation provides preventative and therapeutic treatment and performs surgeries in disadvantaged communities across the world, especially in regions where blindness is exacerbated by a lack of adequate medical care, widespread poverty and scarce resources.”
She added, “Our goals at Noor Dubai transcends providing eye care to implementing comprehensive rehabilitation programmes for patients who have suffered from vision impairment or loss, allowing them to become active members of society. These sustainable efforts help fight unemployment and combat poverty, eventually achieving social stability.”
Taryam said, “Restoring one person’s vision can save an entire family from poverty or protect a child’s future that can fall behind due to blindness or visual impairment.”
