Al Jalila Foundation, a member of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, announced today that it has setup a relief fund to support patients in the UAE affected financially by the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, global outbreak.

The fund, in partnership with a number of hospitals across the UAE, supports the government’s efforts to safeguard the nation’s health during these challenging times.

Al Jalila Foundation has been supporting patient care since its inception in 2013 investing over AED62 million to provide life-saving treatment to UAE-based patients in need.

The relief fund is in solidarity with patients with pre-existing chronic conditions; with the support of donors the fund will ensure that despite the current pandemic patients will get the medical care and attention they need. According to the World Health Organisation, people with cancer, heart diseases and diabetes are at increased risk and require extra care during this global health crisis.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Member of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, said, “This pandemic has united the world like never before. It’s inspiring to see the community come together to support the UAE’s incredible efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. This is a collective fight and we each need to do our part to protect the nation’s health and safety so that we can all emerge from this stronger, together.”

Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, commented, “As we come to terms with COVID-19 global outbreak there has never been a greater need for life-saving treatment and medical breakthroughs that could end the pandemic and save millions of lives. During these extraordinary times, we can not forget those most vulnerable in society who continue to need medical treatment for pre-existing life-threatening illnesses.

“The unprecedented situation has impacted the livelihood of many people and it is our national duty to support patients in their time of need. We are more determined than ever in our mission to transform patients’ lives and count on our donors’ generous support to help us pave the way for a healthier, brighter future for all.”

Al Jalila Foundation works closely with renowned healthcare partners to develop special treatment programmes that meet the needs of patients who are unable to afford quality treatment. A’awen, support in Arabic, is the Foundation’s treatment programme which has helped 844 patients in the UAE in the last seven years: from life-saving heart surgeries to treatment of cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and other chronic illnesses.

In 2018, Al Jalila Foundation sponsored the first kidney transplant in Dubai as part of its efforts to fund cutting-edge treatment to improve patients’ lives. To date, the Foundation has sponsored dialysis treatment for 30 adults and 12 children; heart surgery for 116 children and 27 adults, among others.

Al Jalila Foundation recently announced that application for its sixth cycle of seed grants has opened in response to help develop the UAE capacity to address this pandemic and other viral diseases in the future. Researchers are invited to apply for seed grants of up to AED500,000 over a 1 to 2 year period to investigate the pathology, diagnostics, epidemiology, transmission, therapeutics, and/or prevention related to COVID-19 specific to the UAE population and demographics.

Since its inception in 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has invested over AED25 million to advance medical research in the UAE and now aims to extend its research portfolio to address the current COVID-19 global health crisis.