Nine industrial facilities obtained credit insurance on their exports with AED 2 billion

ABU DHABI, The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has announced the completion of the first phase of the financial ecosystem program for industrial facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which is being carried out by the Industrial Development Bureau, an affiliate of ADDED. The program aims at enhancing the credit environment for the industrial and commercial sectors by motivating banks to compete and provide prominent financing services and products to economic sectors across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

In this context, the program succeeded in its first phase, in cooperation with the Etihad Credit Insurance Company, a credit protection company established by the federal government of the UAE, to enable 9 industrial facilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to obtain export credit insurance on their turnovers, after conducting several educational workshops organized by the Industrial Development Bureau for exporting industrial companies.

Furthermore, the total value of insured turnover for the benefited industrial facilities amounted to AED 2.144 billion since March 2020, with AED 1.588 billion for metal industries, AED 367 million for the plastic and glass industries, AED 100 million for construction industries, AED 70 million for chemical industries, and AED 19 million for electrical and electronic industries.

The financial ecosystem program, in its second phase that commences with the start of the next year, aims to secure export credit insurance for 28 industrial facilities in Abu Dhabi, with a total turnover value of AED 7.5 billion, including metal, electrical, chemical, plastic, glass, construction, food, wood, paper, machinery and equipment industries.

He stated that the Industrial Development Bureau is working, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority, to provide a digital platform through which the financial ecosystem program is implemented through the integrated services system “Tamm”. The integration will ease the process for business owners to obtain the appropriate financing for their entities, in an easy and accessible manner that is compatible with the nature of their economic activities. The program, in its first phase, is currently available through the website of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development www.added.abudhabi.ae.

The program seeks to enhance the financial ecosystem, which contributes to promoting and stimulating investment in the local industrial sector, thus creating a smooth investment environment for foreign direct investment, with the aim of strengthening supply chains associated with the local industrial sector, including logistical services, supply, marketing, transportation and packaging activities.

Source: Emirates News Agency

UAE announces 60 new COVID-19 cases, 79 recoveries, 1 death in last 24 hours

ABU DHABI, The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 284,985 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.

In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry stressed its aim to continue expanding the scope of testing nationwide to facilitate the early detection of coronavirus cases and carry out the necessary treatment. As part of its intensified testing campaign, MoHAP announced 60 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of recorded cases in the UAE to 741,918.

According to the Ministry, the infected individuals are from various nationalities, are in a stable condition, and receiving the necessary care.

MoHAP also announced one deaths due to COVID-19 complications, bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 2,146.

The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and wished COVID-19 patients a speedy and full recovery. It called on all members of the society to cooperate with health authorities, adhere to the instructions and physical distance to ensure the health and safety of all.

MoHAP also noted that an additional 79 individuals had fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 736,778.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and Roche collaborate to provide preventive and treatment innovations

ABU DHABI, The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and Roche, the world’s largest biotech company, announced a strategic partnership that contributes to the future of healthcare transformation by supporting real-world evidence generation and research guidelines, improving the process for health technology assessment as per global standards, and accelerating access to diagnostics and treatment innovations to establish the emirate as a life science hub for a healthier Abu Dhabi.

A declaration of collaboration between both entities was signed by Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and Dr. Mohamed ElShaarawy, General Manager, UAE Roche Pharmaceuticals, in the presence of Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and Massimo Baggi, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the UAE and Bahrain.

As per the collaboration, the emirate adopted Roche’s casirivimab and imdevimab for the treatment of mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 patients. The move comes as part of the therapeutic and preventive methods used by the emirate to preserve the health and safety of community members and builds on the continued adoption of medicines and treatments for critical cases and individuals at higher risk of developing serious symptoms.

Dr. Jamal Al Kaabi said, “Today, we have taken a significant step towards improving healthcare services in Abu Dhabi. We are happy to collaborate with Roche as part of our efforts to build a robust life science hub and spearhead the latest advancements for COVID-19 prevention and treatment. Guided by the vision of our wise leadership, we are empowered to implement measures that leverage innovation and technology to deliver superior patient experiences and outcomes.”

Dr. Mohamed ElShaarawy said, “We are honoured to partner with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and contribute to realising the vision of a world-class healthcare ecosystem. This collaboration is a pivotal moment for a personalised and value-based healthcare where patients can receive the best possible care, tailored to their individual disease and lifestyle. To achieve this, our focus must evolve from treating diseases to delivering patient-centred and innovative healthcare solutions for a healthier society.”

Commenting on the collaboration, the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation to the UAE and Bahrain, Massimo Baggi, said, “Healthcare is the cornerstone of a well-functioning community, and it is encouraging to see the healthcare authorities take pride in their work and strive to evolve by incorporating the latest advancements and technologies. I am happy to witness a collaboration that shares best practices and fosters innovation for better health outcomes in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.”

The collaboration will be instrumental in establishing Abu Dhabi as a life science hub that delivers impactful solutions that address patient needs and societal burdens. By developing a collaborative ecosystem in bio-pharma, personalised healthcare and healthcare technology, the life science hub can act as a pipeline for prototypes that can prevent, detect, manage and monitor diseases.

Roche treatement is composed of two monoclonal antibodies: casirivimab and imdevimab. Together, they form a monoclonal antibody combination with the potential both to treat patients with COVID-19 and prevent disease in those who may be exposed to the virus. The treatment has been approved in the European Union and Japan, and conditionally approved in the UK and Australia. In addition, the treatment is authorised for emergency use or temporary pandemic use in the United States, India, Switzerland and Canada, and is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, Roche has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical insights.

Source: Emirates News Agency

17,208 doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered in past 24 hours: MoHAP

ABU DHABI, The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has announced that 17,208 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered during the past 24 hours.

The total number of doses provided up to today stands at 21,835,103 with a rate of vaccine distribution of 220.77 doses per 100 people.

The vaccination drive is in line with the Ministry’s plan to provide the vaccine to all members of society and acquire immunity, which will help reduce the number of cases and control the spread of the virus.

Source: Emirates News Agency

UAE President pardons 870 prisoners ahead of UAE’s 50th National Day

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of 870 prisoners ahead of the UAE’s 50th National Day.

The move comes as part of President Khalifa’s keenness to give pardoned inmates an opportunity to start a new life and ease the suffering of their families.

The prisoners – sentenced for various crimes – will also have their debts and fines paid-off.

Source: Emirates News Agency