Women are one of the health sector's greatest assets

The pandemic shows how big a role female healthcare workers play in keeping the Emirates safe, writes Seha's Dr Aysha Al Mahri

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 12, 2020. The National Screening Center, Mina Rashed, Dubai. Nurse Asmahan Bin Thabet Al Nahdi sanitizes her hands after conducting a swab test. Victor Besa / The NaShow more

Growing up as an Emirati, I have seen firsthand how my country has embraced change, driven by a clear vision and resolute ambition.

The Emirates has become a leader in many industries. As a healthcare professional, I am particularly proud of my sector's achievements here. Ours ranks as the number one healthcare system in the Middle East and among the top globally, according to seven global health indices, and the JCI health commission. Seha, Abu Dhabi's public health provider, delivers many innovative and ground-breaking therapeutic procedures.

These achievements are mirrored in other industries. As a nation of firsts, we recently made history with the Hope Mars Mission – the Arab world's first interplanetary mission and the first of three international missions to the Red Planet launching this summer.

One thing remains constant across these milestones and accomplishments: inspirational women are paving the way for the next generation of the nation’s female pioneers.

In May, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, announced this year's Emirati Women's Day theme - Preparing for the next 50 years: women are the support of the nation. Women have always been central to the achievements of the UAE but Sheikha Fatima's call to action is that Emirati women must seize the opportunity to support the greater vision and realise the opportunities ahead.

We must all ask ourselves: where will today’s young Emirati women be in 50 years? What journeys will they have been on and what stories will they tell? For women, the chance to make an impact has never been more profound, or more vital to the future of the nation.

In my sector, today we are achieving healthcare outcomes that would be unthinkable when the nation was founded. We are treating cancer, curing disease, immunising communities, using AI and technology to deliver better results and harnessing the power of robotics to enable advanced surgical techniques.

Just think what our sector can achieve and the tools we’ll be using by 2071. This is the tantalising sense of possibility articulated by the Mother of the Nation. And it is one that we must embrace in my sector and across all other fields as we strive forward into the future.

As a healthcare professional, what is my role in creating this future? I believe we must embrace the essence of Emirati Women’s Day not just today, but every day. When we wake up in the morning, we must remind ourselves of the opportunities our founding fathers have created. Be thankful and embrace the future.

As well as the big achievements – like reaching Mars or successfully delivering advanced healthcare – it is what we do on a daily basis that counts. It is the little moments that plant the seed of the idea that Emirati women can make an even bigger difference. That could be a conversation with a young girl about being a doctor or nurse; it might be a comforting word to a patient as he or she recovers; or it might simply be acting as a role model in the community through volunteering.

During the pandemic, we have seen how these small contributions add up to a bigger impact and we have seen that as a community, the role of Emirati women is vital in the fight.

As Emirati women in the healthcare sector, everything we do has even greater purpose. We entered the sector to help our nation advance and care for patients. We are now soldiers in the fight against coronavirus.

I am proud to be an ambassador for our nation’s response. Emirati Women’s Day this year is testament to that. We are holding our nation’s flag high and must continue empowering one another to grow. When we support one another, we support the nation.

That support means recognising that we are now at the forefront and play an active role in our country’s success. We are already familiar with playing a big role in people’s lives – as mothers, daughters, sisters and friends. The pandemic has underlined what we already knew: that women are central in delivering for the nation, too.

I am therefore celebrating not only what we have achieved today, but what we will achieve for the future – whether in healthcare or across the economy and wider society.

The next 50 years are hard to predict, but looking at what has been achieved in the first five decades of our nation’s journey, it is humbling and exhilarating to think about what lies ahead for us, our daughters and the nation. It is even more humbling to think about where talented Emirati women in the healthcare sector will take the industry and the advances they will deliver for patients across the community.

Dr. Aysha Al Mahri is Group Nursing & Allied Health director at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha)