10 among 21 injured in Dubai bus crash get free treatment

Dubai - The multiple vehicle collision took place last weekend.

In what could be called a close shave with death, 21 blue-collar workers had a narrow escape - with minor injuries - in a multiple-vehicle crash that took place at Dubai's Muhaisnah intersection on Thursday (last weekend) at 8.45pm.
The workers - mainly from two companies - were returning to their accommodations from their work sites when the two buses they were traveling in collided in a multiple vehicle pile up. The workers, mostly between the ages of 20-30 years, were shifted to the nearby NMC Specialty Hospital in Al Nahda where a team of 20 medical staff was assigned to treat the injured.
 
According to the hospital management, majority of the workers sustained minor injuries such as cuts, bruises and sprains, while two had moderate injuries, and one was serious.
However, most of them were discharged from the hospital within three hours after being brought in. The injured workers included eight Bangladeshis, six Nepalese, four Pakistanis, and one each from India, Kenya and Gambia.
 
In a kind gesture on the occasion of Eid, the NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Nahda, waived the bill amount for 10 of the workers, while the remaining patients' bills were covered by their company insurance, an offical spokesperson said.
 
"We received two Dubai Corporation of Ambulances (DCAS) ambulances and one big bus that brought in the 21 patients. However as per patient witnesses, there were around four to five DCAS ambulances that arrived at the scene of the accident in just minutes," the hospital said in a statement to Khaleej Times.
 
Prasanth Manghat, NMC Health CEO and Executive Director said, "Life is fragile yet precious, and there is no greater glory and joy in preserving it. NMC Health is committed to work with the country's key stakeholders to ensure that quality healthcare, which is a fundamental right of every citizen, is delivered to one all. We are grateful to the Dubai Corporation of Ambulances for trusting our ability to deliver that".
Farhan Siddiqui, manager at Dockland Cleaning Services - one of the companies whose workers were involved in the accident - told Khaleej Times that the company was grateful to the hospital for taking good care of its workers.
"The hospital took very good care of our employees even before we came. They did not think twice about waiting to call us or worry about insurance issues, and gave immediate attention to the injured workers. They called me after giving them first aid and examining the workers, and also reassured that they would not charge a penny for the treatment."
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai