The health care sector is growing rapidly in the UAE, so is the demand for medical professionals, including nurses. Yet, too few Emiratis choose nursing as a career. According to statistics, only three per cent of the 23,000 to 25,000 nurses in the country are Emirati. As The National reported yesterday, the Dubai Health Authority has recruited 531 nurses from countries such as India, Jordan and the Philippines to cope with pressing demand in new hospitals.
There is little doubt about the quality of the expatriate workforce, but the advantage of having Emiratis in the profession is that they can better take care of Emirati patients, as well as those from the region, as they are better placed to understand their cultural needs and sensitivities. However, to make the job attractive to them, it is essential to first improve perceptions about the profession. There are many factors responsible for this, such as perceived low wages, inadequate recognition and low job satisfaction.
One effective recruitment strategy could be to highlight nursing as a dynamic profession that provides an incredibly broad range of opportunities and a chance to have an interesting, successful and meaningful career that makes a real difference to other people’s lives. Increasing investment in education and career development will also help.
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
