How UAE’s CSR Program Can Help the Healthcare Sector in Pakistan

Corporate social responsibility is an unsentimental but powerful business decision. Now Companies are associating CSR with business policies not because it is a nice thing to do or people are forcing them to do it but it is good for their business. How UAE CSR Program Can Help the Healthcare Sector in Pakistan.

Numerous impactful campaigns led by social or humanitarian activists against corporations have led them to take greater care that their goods are not produced under unacceptable working conditions for starvation wages. Now the majority of companies make decisions based on about how they think, act, live, travel and consume help to shape an environment.  Besides gaining profits and conserving the interests of the stakeholder’s Companies are willing to do what is right because what is right will always influence others; it begins to create a climate of opinion; like evil good is too infectious.

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CSR in UAE:

The founding father of UAE Sheikh Zayed was known for the humanitarian efforts. The business community has derived a lot of energy from him and is using their resources for the betterment of the society. The recent campaign “Dress One Million Needy Children”has achieved huge success in UAE fueling momentum of CSR in UAE and catching up with the wave of the rest of the world.

UAE  hosts more than 40 NGOs based in Dubai and is again a proof of the country’s renewed commitment towards the social commitment. UAE is encouraging many NGO’s to set up their base here as they have world class transports, strategic locations with cooperative locals. How UAE CSR Program Can Help the Healthcare Sector in Pakistan.

There is a wide variety of options available for the companies to donate to a worthy cause in UAE. Frequent blood donation camps are organized by various institutions, charities like Dubai Care etc providing an opportunity for the companies to serve the society. The Corporate Social Responsibility emphasizes both the companies and individuals to prove that business is more than earning.

The UAE’s Ministry of Economy had revealed a new legislation in mid-June of 2017 which is a part of the country’s “Year of Giving” strategy, aims to promote corporate social responsibility among businesses operating in the UAE.

Not much information on the rewards declared by the UAE government has been revealed till now, but an initiative by the government has been confirmed to award companies a CSR label, CSR mark, or a CSR passport. These companies will benefit from a 5% positive weight in the tendering process for government contracts, free extensions for business licenses, and priority in requesting government services.

The CSR Label or Mark is designed to recognize private sector companies that embrace CSR and reflect an outstanding contribution to the community. These awards will most likely be classified as Bronze, Silver, and Gold.  It is also based on historical data sets, whereas the CSR passport is based on a combination of historical data and future commitments.

The CSR Passport is a separate reward scheme in which a passport is given to companies excelling in CSR. With only a few handed out every year, the passport gives several exclusive privileges and opportunities to companies.

The UAE government has declared to measure and rate Corporations based on a set of four criteria, including CSR policy, CSR strategy, and volunteering and contribution.

How UAE can help Healthcare sector in Pakistan:

Abu Dhabi has invested   Dh1.5 billion worth in sustainable development projects in Pakistan by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD),

The ADFD, a national entity for development aid, has supported Pakistan with grants and concessionary loans on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, valued at Dh1.5 billion across nine sustainable development projects. The projects spanned diverse sectors like transport, water, and most notably healthcare sector .

In the health sector, ADFD administered an estimated Dh107 million.  Abu Dhabi government grant to develop two healthcare projects in Pakistan. In 2013, ADFD provided Dh94 million to construct the Emirates Hospital — an integrated specialty medical center equipped with 1,000 beds. Furthermore, in 2006, ADFD allocated Dh13 million to fit out the Shaikh Zayed Hospital in Lahore with modern and internationally standardized equipment.

ADFD and the Government of Pakistan have enjoyed strong and long-standing ties dating back to 1981. The synergies between the two sides continue to drive sustainable socioeconomic development across key sectors that benefit the citizens of Pakistan.

 The second phase of the United Arab Emirates-funded military hospital in Pakistan has been completed. The hospital is built in Rawalpindi at the cost of US$108 million.The hospital’s different sections include the outpatient clinics, specialist clinics, emergency unit, pharmacies, laboratories, radiology section, blood bank, operation theatres, inpatient wards, lecture halls and the hospital’s control rooms.

Director of the UAE’s Pakistan Assistance Programme (UAE PAP) Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli said the US$108 million hospitals, one of the key projects carried out by UAE PAP, was co-founded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation. The 1,000-bed hospital has a capacity to cater to 6,000 patients daily. It has 16 fully-equipped operation theatres to perform 50 major surgeries per day.

When  UAE government and associated foundations are spending on constructing hospitals they can consider funding other medical aspects of Pakistan as well. Pakistan healthcare sector is encountering a lack of specialists and female physicians crippling the medical services for public badly.

According to PMDC statistics, there are 135,923 registered general physicians in Pakistan; 46% were females, and 29,487 specialists, with 73% being males. In dentistry, there are 12,782 dentists, with 38% being males, and 1,077 specialists comprising 72% males. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 1 doctor for 1,000 population. In Pakistan, the average ratio is 8.1 physicians per 10,000 people.

The role of female ophthalmologists is specifically important in rural/district areas constituting 70% population and having a high prevalence of eye disorders among women. Besides, hesitation to see a male doctor may lead to poor vision accompanied, and together with inaccessibility to eye care, it can impede quality of life. Besides, 15,000 doctors move abroad to pursue their career resulting in reduced workforce back home.

After MBBS, most graduates tend to abandon studies due to societal issues, some immigrate abroad, a few continue as general physicians and even fewer get themselves registered for specialization. According to the PMDC statistics, the gap between the registered physicians and specialists is quite evident.

Medical experts of Pakistan has placed their demands of revising and restructuring the current undergraduate MBBS curriculum facilitating assimilation, retention, and command in a particular area of knowledge, encouraging serious students to pursue a career in medicine and regulate the optimum supply of medical professionals in all specialties.  

Hence  UAE government, associated foundations, and companies can allocate medical scholarships for students to pursue a specialist degree and fund NGO’s to raise awareness and expand prospects for female physicians in the Medical field.

Conclusion:

Now that UAE  Government has recognized the importance of CSR and enforcing companies to make it an integral part of their businesses is a positive approach that will benefit both UAE and countries abroad especially Pakistan. Purpose of business is not only about gaining profit or personal greed. It’s about responsibility.

With companies having huge financial resources the initiatives the company cantake are numerous. The number of companies that are sponsoring the healthcare sectors and helping to develop the society by providing better infrastructure and medical support to the needy is a job associated with CSR  which requires finding more members. How UAE CSR Program Can Help the Healthcare Sector in Pakistan.

Sir Michael Perry, Chairman of Centrica PLC had forecasted “The brands that will be big in the future will be those that tap into the social changes that are taking place.” If companies are to grow great they must head forward taking up responsibilities