Dubai Hospital

One of Farook's oldest friends is in Dubai Hospital for heart surgery. He went in about a month ago so they could stabilise him, then he went into cardiac arrest so they had to operate immediately, and he came out of surgery with acute renal failure. Farook has been spending all day most days at the hospital, and I went to visit Farook and our mutual friend.

Dubai Hospital seems very unusual to me, because it is beautifully landscaped with flower gardens and topiary. The grounds were sculpted with man-made rolling hills and walking paths. Most hospitals I've seen were quite utilitarian, and I've seen a lot. My father helped raise the money for the little hospital in our village, and, whenever we went on vacation, he wanted to see their hospital, so, when he got home, he could tell everyone that our village hospital was better. And, if I was with him, he'd drag me along. So I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the grounds were at Dubai Hospital, although no one was using the pathways for walking, nor was anyone looking at the flower gardens or the topiary.

After the cardiac arrest about two weeks ago, Farook found his friend with a breathing machine and a kidney machine, and wondered why they were keeping him alive that way. Farook kept saying it was wrong, that his friend was already dead and the doctors should let nature take its course.

Then, on Monday, when I went to meet Farook and see our friend, I found him in the emergency room, since he'd collapsed. He says it was the evil eye (hassad in Arabic), since he'd been talking about how healthy he was and how sick his friends were. And another old friend had also been admitted with heart problems, and I was sent as emissary to transmit Farook's greetings to the newly admitted friend, and to look at the first friend who was just lying there and tell the nurse that Farook and I send our greetings and wishes for his recovery.

Two days later, Farook was completely recovered: I assume he used the usual methods to neutralise the hassad.

And two days after that, the friend who had been on life support was talking, and managed to have what looked like a reasonable conversation with Farook (of course, it was in Arabic, so I have no idea what they said).

Also, spending so much time at the hospital, Farook met an elderly Norwegian whose daughter was in the hospital because of a car accident in Dubai. Three years ago. Her thigh was crushed, and the doctors can't seem to fix it. Her mother naturally wants to do whatever she can for her daughter, and somehow met Farook and enlisted his help, and Farook promised to do everything he can to see that her daughter gets the best care.

I asked the two Norwegian ladies why they were staying in Dubai, and they said that, if they went back to Norway, they live in a tiny village and that's where they'd have to stay, and the healthcare is better in Dubai.