Watch: Sheikh Mohammed shows appreciation for UAE’s healthcare workers

On Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted a video expressing his gratitude to the country’s healthcare workers who are in the midst of battling the increasing number of Covid-19 cases.

The tweet which encouraged the country to show its solidarity with the medical community as a whole read: “Thank you first line of our defense. Thank you for your sacrifices…and your watchfulness for the sake of the homeland. You are the protectors of the homeland today and its loyal fence and soldiers.

“I invite everyone to thank them and praise and appreciate them for their continuous efforts day and night. Doctors, nurses, paramedics and administrators in our medical sector in the country…Thank you,” added the tweet.

#شكراً_خط_دفاعنا_الأول .. شكراً لتضحياتكم .. وسهركم .. وبذلكم من أجل الوطن … أنتم حماة الوطن اليوم وسياجه وجنوده المخلصين … أدعو الجميع لتوجيه الشكر لهم .. والثناء والتقدير لجهودهم المتواصلة ليل نهار .. أطباء وممرضين ومسعفين وإداريين في قطاعنا الطبي في الدولة .. شكراً لكم pic.twitter.com/CcJdGSXpfQ

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) March 24, 2020

The accompany video showed scenes of doctors, paramedics, nurses, administrators and security staff tending to medical emergencies while putting their personal lives on hold. In one scene, a father puts down his mobile midway through replying to a message showing his young daughter blowing the candles on her birthday cake to attend to a medical emergency.

In the video, Sheikh Mohammed can be heard saying: “I would like to thank doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers in hospitals. You are our champions today. Our first line of defence. You are fulfilling a great national duty of saving the lives of our citizens and residents. You are not alone. Your mission is great, but our determination is even greater. May God safeguard you and our people. Wishing health and prosperity for the country and the world.”

Read: Covid-19: UAE reports 45 new cases, total tallies 198

The UAE reported 45 new cases of the Covid-19 infections on Monday, taking the total number of those infected to 198 and the total number of those recovered to 41, besides two deaths as a result of the virus.

On Monday, in a phone call to Dr. Sara Kazim, head of the Emergency Department at Rashid Hospital, Sheikh Mohammed said that  he stood ready to support the country’s medical teams with whatever they required, and added: “You are on the frontline of our nation’s defence against the epidemic, and you are fulfilling a great and noble mission, but it isn’t done yet.”

In similar measures adopted by other GCC countries to demonstrate their support to the medical fraternity, Saudi Arabia’s central bank announced on Sunday that all banks within the kingdom would postpone their monthly installments on any outstanding loans of healthcare workers for three months starting from April without changing the cost.