DUBAI: The UAE has granted golden visas to over 1,400 nurses at Dubai Health, including Malayalees. Nurses with more than 15 years of service will be given the visa. The golden visas are given as a token of gratitude for their hard work and unwavering commitment. The nurses are being honored with the golden visas on the instructions of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the UAE.

‘It feels like a dream,’ says Carmina Aguilar, a nurse from the Philippines who arrived in Dubai in 1998. She is a senior staff nurse at Latifa Hospital. She has been caring for newborns in the NICU for the past 27 years. She recalled the initial hardships she faced when she left Philippines and came to Dubai. Carmina said that the golden visa she has now received is the result of her 27 years of hard work.

Nurse Nancy Augustine, who has been serving at Latifa Hospital for more than two decades, also received a golden visa. Nancy responded that it was a proud moment. It is the most satisfying moment. This is a gift from the UAE for 25 years of service. There have been many moments of pride during this time. Nancy said that she was proud whenever she saw critically ill patients recovering, when she helped women during childbirth, and when she imparted knowledge to new nurses.