Born in 1943, Abdul Rahman Ali Abdullah Ahli lived a rather difficult and different sort of childhood as his father had died while he was still a child. He had to start his career at an age as early as 12years, joining the Al Maktoum Hospital in 1955.
Fortunately, the noble profession he had entered into provided adequate consolation. He worked as an assistant at the different departments of the hospital, and helped with the translation between doctors and patients, many of who did not speak Arabic. He later worked in the Departments of Radiology, and the Sterilization of Medical Equipment. Ultimately he became an assistant anesthetist and an operation theatre assistant.
Upon the establishment of Rashid Hospital 1973, he moved there to work at the surgery departments, and to date he is still functioning as assistant to both surgeons and anesthetists. While he has been deprived of formal education, he was compensated bya strongdesiretolearn on his own. He perfected his job as assistant to surgeons and anesthetists so much so that he has become an essential element in operation theatres.
Moreover, he has helped with the training of many nurses and anesthesia technicians, and even some of the doctors who later became anesthetists.
He has given his life to his noble profession, and won tne confidence and respect of superiors. He has always adhered to the laws and ethics of the profession even before these were set in writing. He had worked under very unfavorable conditions, and has managed to cope with surgical techniques, which were far less developed than today's. He had to work most of the daytime as hospitals and health care centers were rare, and the very few ones that existed lacked human resources.
Abdul Rahman Ali Abdulla Ahli is one of the oldest personnel at the Department of Health and Medical Services with over 50 years of service. However, he shows the same old vitality and enthusiasm, and continues to supervise the in-service training of technicians and doctors. All recognize his talent, perseverance and readiness to help patients.
It is for these remarkable achievements and lengthy service that Mr. Abdul Rahman Ali Abdulla Ahli deserves the Hamdan Award for honouring individuals working in the field of medicine and health for the year 2003-2004.
