Staying home sick in Abu Dhabi can be a real headache. Sniffling or running a temperature? The only way to miss work officially, especially if you work in the public sector, is to drag yourself to the doctor's office, fill out a Health Authority-Abu Dhabi form online, and have your fever certified. The process can take hours.
The aim of Haad's sick-leave attestation system, mandatory since March, is to eliminate abuse of sick-leave policies and keep people working. It's a laudable goal. But as flu season hits, it's also worth asking whether the benefits have been buried by bureaucracy.
The cost of health care in the UAE is going up, and insurers have warned in recent months that unless expenses come down, cover will have to fall. But before that happens, healthcare providers and insurers must consider ways to reduce costs. The first place to start is by doing away with unnecessary care. Every consultation, doctor visit and test has a price. When healthcare costs get too high, the pain will be passed to employees - through fees, reduced coverage or both.
In this regard, another programme Haad plans to roll out has promise. As The National reported yesterday, a new scheme will allow patients with manageable chronic illnesses to visit doctors less often to have prescriptions re-filled. Conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol can be self-managed. Responsible patients do not need a new battery of tests every two months just to fill a prescription. Visits that are pro forma only add to the spiralling cost of care.
It's a similar calculation with sick days. Last year, over 55,000 employees went through the sick day verification process, using up doctors' time and precious hospital resources (when they should have been under the blankets sipping tea). Untold others just went to work, probably because it seemed easier, passing on their germs to their colleagues.
Abuses of the health care system, such as fraudulent prescriptions or fake sick notes, are serious concerns that need to be addressed. But when employers cannot trust their employees to take responsibility for their own actions, or trust doctors not to fake sick notes for them, the real problems are not related to the healthcare system at all. Forcing it to adapt to irresponsible employees will only make things more expensive and stressful for the rest of us.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
World Cup League Two
Results
Oman beat Nepal by 18 runs
Oman beat United States by six wickets
Nepal beat United States by 35 runs
Oman beat Nepal by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Oman v United States
Wednesday, Nepal v United States
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.