Abu Dhabi launches campaign to cover costs of chronic disease care
Abu Dhabi has launched an endowment campaign to support patients with chronic diseases who are unable to cover the cost of treatment. Under the slogan With you for Life, the campaign has been launched during the Year of Community and will help to cover treatment costs for people while supporting the research and development of pharmaceutical drugs. It is hoped the campaign can raise Dh1 billion ($272,294). 'We are creating this endowment to cater for different and important societal priorities,' Fahad Al Qassim, director general of the Abu Dhabi Endowments and Minors Funds Authority, told The National. 'It's an endowment fund with a proper governance structure, which means we will have a board of trustees, an investment committee and a spending committee.' The fund will be continuous and have no end date, Mr Al Qassim said. Its finances will be invested and then spent to help patients. 'Assets will be invested and the returns will be spent on treatment, which means that we have a sustainable financial instrument and product that gives returns every single year,' he added. 'This endowment caters for the weakest point in the community and a lot of those people are actually non-UAE nationals. UAE nationals today, at the end of the day, they do get the treatment from the government by the leadership. Expats today are more vulnerable in terms of the weaker point of the community. 'Endowments are here to stay for generations. It's not for the next two years, and then it will be mothballed or to a different initiative. No, it will continue to be there, hopefully for generations to come.' The initiative also focuses on sustainability and community development, while highlighting the UAE's role in championing charitable and humanitarian campaigns. Dr Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, said the campaign reflected the UAE's commitment to empowering people and improving public health. 'This initiative supports our ongoing efforts to enhance quality of life and ensure access to specialised, integrated and effective health care that places patients at the heart of the system,' she said. Abu Dhabi's Department of Health will oversee the health-related aspects of the endowment, ensuring contributions are directed effectively to support specialised care and reach those who need the funds most. The campaign has two fundraising arms – the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, which has been a leading humanitarian entity since 1983, and the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an, Abu Dhabi's official channel to receive social contributions.
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