Sheikh Mohamed visits ailing Indian employee in UAE hospital

Abu Dhabi - He has been working for Sheikh Mohamed for the last 30 years.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" The words of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince fell like a soothing balm on Mullapalli Ali's ears.
"Your kind heart and thoughts are enough for me to live," Ali, 56, whispered as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, bent over and took the frail hands of his employee, gently stroking it.Also read:
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Ali from Kerala was recovering at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi after undergoing a brain surgery on Sunday when the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince dropped in to wish him a speedy recovery.
Ali has been working for the Crown Prince for the last 30 years, accompanying Sheikh Mohamed on all his foreign trips.
"It was a moment my father will cherish for the rest of his life. In his 40 years in the UAE, he has never been happier," Ali's eldest son, Naseeb Ali, told Khaleej Times describing their family's excitement and disbelief.
Ali's wife Ramla Ummathur and second son Nisar Ali were present when the Crown Prince dropped in on Thursday afternoon at room number 1433 on the 14th floor.
"There was a knock, and I thought I was dreaming when I saw Sheikh Mohamed at the door. I looked again just to be sure, and there he was smiling at me," Ali's son Nisar said.
He said the visit lasted a few minutes, and the Crown Prince spoke to his father and assured him that he was there for any help and support. "He shook hands with me too, and enquired about my father's health and our family."
Ali was discharged on Friday and is recuperating at home. He is unable to talk as doctors have advised him complete rest for two months. The Keralite expat, who came to the UAE 40 years ago, is married and has three grown-up sons, all living in the UAE.
Naseeb said his father was moved from the NMC Hospital to the Cleveland Clinic as per the special instruction from the Crown Prince Court. "My father was not feeling well for some time, and ever since he recently returned from a trip abroad with the Crown Prince, his health worsened. He was showing symptoms like memory loss and imbalance while walking. Doctors diagnosed that there was a blood clot in his brain and he underwent a surgery at the NMC Hospital in Abu Dhabi on Sunday."
Naseeb, who is working as an IT professional in Abu Dhabi, said officials from the Crown Prince Court were calling him to enquire about his father's health six to eight times a day.
"The care and concern they showed were touching. But the last thing we expected was a visit from Sheikh Mohamed to a common man like our father.
It shows how much he values us as human beings. We are deeply touched by the generosity. And now, we understand why millions of expats like my father feel at home here. I cannot even tell how happy my father is. He is recovering well, thanks to the emotional support and love showered by the Crown Prince.
"Though he is one of the staff members who closely interacts with Sheikh Mohamed, he never shares anything that happens at work with the family," he added.
Sheikh Mohamed also shared on his Twitter handle that he visited two other patients at the Cleveland Clinic - Salem Tajer Al Dhaheri and Abdullah Al Said Mohammed Al Hashemi - on the same day.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Abu Dhabi