"Memory of the Nation"
A weekly page presented by "Emirates Today", in cooperation with the "National Archives", which is affiliated with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, with the aim of defining the shape of life in the Emirates before the union, and during its early beginnings, and the great effort that the founding fathers made for the state in order to establish it, and link it to what the UAE leaders achieve today And her children are achievements that the world has witnessed.
Despite the harsh consequences of the pandemic “Covid-19”, and its negative effects that affected all parts of the world, it revealed in the UAE the strength and solidity of the state’s infrastructure in various sectors, and the state’s ability to move quickly in various directions, to develop proactive plans that meet the needs of reality and look to the future At the same time. The landscape was topped by the health services sector, which revealed its readiness and ability to bear the pandemic burdens, whether in terms of equipment and equipment, or at the level of human cadres working in it, which exceeded many countries in the world, which is what he had planned to work hard and diligence of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, since he assumed the rule of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, then after the proclamation of the union and the establishment of the state.
The oldest hospitals
The Canadian Hospital, which was previously known as the “Oasis Hospital”, is considered one of the oldest hospitals in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. Health care in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of the sixties was based on folk medicine and herbal medicine, and the death rate in Al Ain was very high due to the spread of epidemics , Such as tuberculosis and malaria, which led to a decrease in its population, especially since many pregnant women lost their lives or lost the baby during the birth process, in the absence of any type of medical care. In the face of these conditions, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, invited the American doctor Pat Kennedy and his wife, Dr. Marianne, to Al Ain in November 1960.
Zayed vision
Writer Mohsen Al-Bushi, in his book “Health Care in Al-Ain from the Oasis to Cleveland and Emerald College”, stated that the opening of the first hospital in the region took place on November 20, 1960, and the medical staff consisted of two doctors: Dr. Kennedy and his wife Marian, and their aide are Maria Mayer, and they were joined by another doctor, Dr. Street, who was known by the name of Dr. Adel, and two years later joined by two nurses, one Canadian, Gertrude Dyke, and another Indian, Maryam, and the hospital medical staff began to increase over time as some assistants gradually joined. The late Sheikh Zayed gave him the first building of the hospital, which is the host's house for receiving foreign guests, and was located in the center of Al Ain city behind the current public street behind the old Al Ain Municipality building, which shows how keen he is to provide health care services to the people and support these services, through His own property. The building was used as a hospital to provide health care services and as a residence for doctors, at one time, and the hospital remained at this location until the building collapsed due to rain, and the hospital moved in March 1963 to the Al-Mutawa area, before moving to another new building in 1964 to become Al Ain, under the management of The late Sheikh Zayed owns for the first time a hospital that includes 22 rooms, in addition to a meeting room, a radiology room, and drug stores. Al-Balooshi pointed out that it is striking in the experience of establishing the first hospital in Al-Ain that it was planned and arranged by Sheikh Zayed, may God rest his soul, without the presence of medical departments that bring in experts, and without the presence of oil revenues that derive financial ability, and without the availability of technical or human capabilities to help, but despite These difficult circumstances alone bear the burden of construction, which indicates the genius of his construction, and Sheikh Zayed directed the use of the available materials in the region in the construction process, and the hospital - which the people knew as the "Oasis" Hospital - played, given that it is located in the oasis of the palm area - a role It is extremely important in caring for families, especially births. Dr. Marian performed 4000 births within 10 years, which indicates that all births were done on her hands, and her reputation increased, especially since the provision of a doctor to health care services for women is one of the things that is consistent with the customs of And the traditions of society, and this has contributed to the definition of modern health care concepts for all, and not inconsistent with the values and traditions of society.
Increased services
The hospital was providing its services to humans and animals at the same time, as the parents accompanied their falcons and their animals to the hospital for treatment as well, which confirms the enormity of the role played by this first treatment facility of its kind in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. The hospital was receiving, as a private hospital, some minor fees from the patients who visited it, and many of them could not pay these fees on their simplicity, and the late Sheikh Zayed carried them (Barwa), which is a paper stamped with his seal, and they get treatment accordingly, and then do The hospital administration collected these papers and delivered them to Sheikh Zayed, who in turn was reimbursing the medical expenses for the families who were unable, and he shared with him the expenses of his brothers, the elders. After assuming, may God rest his soul, the responsibility of ruling in Abu Dhabi in 1966, and the flow of oil revenues, Sheikh Zayed allocated large sums to build modern hospitals.
120 thousand births
In 2019, the hospital celebrated the birth of 120,000 children since its foundation. The hospital witnessed the birth of many members of the ruling family in Abu Dhabi during the years following its establishment, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Canada Hospital
In December 2019, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, directed the launch of the new identity of Al Waha Hospital in Al Ain under the name of the Canadian Hospital, in appreciation and gratitude for the role played by the founders of the hospital, the couple Pat And Marian Kennedy, in developing health care, especially for newborns in the city of Al Ain, since the sixties of the last century, and to document the common name of the hospital and the well-known among the residents of Al Ain City, and to promote the values of coexistence and tolerance.
His Highness also received the family of the two doctors, the couple Pat and Marian Kennedy, the founders of the hospital, and during his meeting in the sea palace in Abu Dhabi, His Highness welcomed the Kennedy family. Appreciating the role played by the couple, Pat and Mariana, in developing health care in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in particular.
• The Covid-19 pandemic revealed the country's ability to move in various directions, to develop plans that meet the needs of reality and look to the future.
The health services sector has proven ready to bear the burden of the pandemic, whether in terms of equipment and equipment, or in terms of human cadres.
• The people were taking their falcons and their animals with them to the hospital for treatment, which confirms the enormity of the role played by this treatment facility.