The President’s gift honours the philanthropic work of the late Father of the Nation, Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in the fields of healthcare and education, and will make a significant contribution to health-based research, education and care in a number of countries.

Senior representatives of Johns Hopkins Hospital and University met yesterday with General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to deliver their thanks to the President for his generosity, and brief the Crown Prince on the key initiatives that will be funded by the President’s philanthropic contribution. This followed the signing of the funding agreement itself.

The majority of the donation will go towards the construction of a new cardiovascular and critical care tower at the East Baltimore campus of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States. In honour of the contribution, this 12-storey tower will be named the Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower.

It will be 913,000 square-feet in size, housing the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute, 355 beds, and operating rooms clustered with catheterisation labs and imaging suites. It will also feature the latest in information and communication technology, including wireless Internet access and all-digital medical imaging. construction on the tower commenced in 2007, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.