60,000 Saudis unable to repay their debts

February 6, 2013

60000_Saudis

Jeddah, Feb 6: About 60,000 Saudis are unable to pay off their loans, said Abdullah Marei bin Mahfouz, chairman of the Jeddah branch of the national committee for the care of prisoners and their families.

Bin Mahfouz said that currently about 300 Saudis are imprisoned in the Kingdom who are unable to settle their bank debts. In addition, about 500 prisoners are unable to pay off credit card debts, and car installments.

Between 2009 and 2011 the increased effectiveness of the payment system — which protects the rights of banks — contributed to lowering the number of people who borrowed money to buy consumer goods, he said.

“I think Saudis are becoming more cautious about getting indebted due to the strict procedures that banks are following. Still, too many Saudis make debts to fund their summer vacation or to buy a luxurious car,” he said.

He added, “The majority of Saudis who are unable to refund their debts, start looking for another source of money, like car companies. They buy two or three cars on an installment system. Then they sell these cars for cash. In most cases the borrowers are unable to refund the car installments.”

According to Bin Mahfouz, sometimes husbands make their wives borrow money for them.

“We currently have six women in prison that were unable to repay their debts. They work as teachers and their husbands forced them to take out bank loans, knowing they would be unable to refund it,” he said.

The bank system is extremely strict in collecting the debts on time.

“When the money is not repaid in due time, the bank freezes the account, stops all electronic transactions of the debtor, and then sends them notifications through the police department,” said Bin Mahfouz.

He added, “Most convicts who are in jail because they couldn’t repay, are Saudis. Expatriates are committed to settling their debts. There are a few Filipino debtors in prison. These are locked up because of credit card debts for amounts starting around SR 10,000. In contrast, Saudis debtors in jail run debts from SR 100,000 and more.”

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) recently issued a report on consumer debts. It said these reached SR 246.9 billion in the first quarter of 2012. Compared to the same period in the previous year, the number was up by 19 percent.

SAMA had warned banks against rescheduling unpaid debts of individuals, saying that 45 percent of the debts should be repayable within three years.

Saudi Banker Fadhel Albu Ainain told Arab News that the ratio of consumer debts is high; many people are in debt. He expected the ratio to decrease with the entrance of the mortgage law.

“In Saudi Arabia the rate of consumer debts, used to buy consumer goods, is estimated at about 75 percent. This is unhealthy for the Saudi market. A healthy market would show that most of the loans are used for acquiring stable commercial investments and real estate. Unfortunately, most of the borrowers are employees whose their salaries can’t cover these loans,” he said. “The problem in Saudi Arabia is that people who earn a low wage often tend to incur debts to live a luxurious life.”

Albu Ainain is opposed to increasing the payment period to more than five years.

“Some people are now calling for expanding the debts repayment period to more than five years. There are also calls to increase the maximum amount people can borrow. This is would increase the size of loans and weaken people’s ability to repay their debts,” he said.

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News Network
May 6,2020

A massive fire engulfed a residential tower in UAE's Sharjah last night. The building has been identified as one Abbco Tower in Al Nahda.

According to the latest inputs, Sharjah Civil Defence teams rushed to the spot and evacuated all residents. 

Firefighters managed to douse the blaze after several hours. The building in question is reportedly a 48-storey structure. Officials are yet to reveal the cause of the fire.

All residents of the building were evacuated while seven incurred minor injuries during the evacuation and were treated at local hospitals, reported the United Arab Emirates' local media.

More details are awaited as this is a developing story.

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News Network
April 16,2020

Dubai, Apr 16: Most of the patients who have fully recovered from Covid-19 in the UAE followed healthy behaviours that helped strengthen their immune systems, said Dr Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson for the UAE Health Sector.

Dr Al Hosani made the remarks during the UAE Government's regular briefing on the latest developments related to the spread of coronavirus in the country, which was held on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.

During the briefing, Dr Al Hosani spoke about the precautionary measures that aimed to prevent the spread of the virus.

Ammar Al Muaini, Official Spokesperson of the National Programme for Happiness and Quality of Life, also explained the outcomes of the National Mental Health Programme.

During the briefing, Dr Al Hosani affirmed that recorded cases in the country, especially recoveries, were related to key factors and reasons.

"In most cases of recoveries, we noticed that they have followed several daily health behaviours, such as doing exercise, eating a healthy diet, strengthening the immune system, and maintaining an ideal weight, as well as abstaining from bad habits, such as smoking and unhealthy eating. The psychological aspect is also important, and it is necessary to support the mental health of individuals, along with their physical health," she said.

"These practices, which we always emphasise and promote, will help raise a person's immunity and resistance to diseases, in addition to medicines, and can speed up the process of recovering from disease," she added.

Dr Al Hosani also talked about the importance of not being complacent if one's temperature rises. "We highlight the importance of periodic temperature checks for family members at home. This step is one of the health measures that we are encouraging.

"Everyone who has a high temperature must contact the nearest health centre or hospital or go to a drive-through testing centre because personal health is linked to the health of those around us and we are responsible for it. There is no room for hesitation in protecting our families," she stressed.

Dr Al Hosani highlighted the importance of covering the nose and mouth, whether by wearing surgical, paper or cloth masks, or any other covering or clothing.

"This procedure is important for everyone leaving home to avoiding the transmission of any infection and preserving the safety of everyone, along with leaving a safe physical distance between people in public places, markets and workplaces, and following the precautions," she explained.

Regarding high temperatures and their relationship to the coronavirus, Dr. Al Hosani said: "All studies that attempt to understand the relationship between the virus and climate have not been able to confirm that higher temperatures will help kill the virus. We are continuing to monitor the results of these studies."

Al Muaini explained the details and developments of the national campaign, titled, 'Don't Worry,' which aims to support the mental health of community members.

"The UAE Government, represented by the National Programme for Happiness and Quality of Life, has launched, under the current circumstances, the national campaign, titled, 'Don't Worry,' that aims to provide psychological support to members of society facing the repercussions of the novel coronavirus, in line with relevant national efforts," Al Muaini said.

"The campaign reflects the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, affirming that quality of life is a high priority, and health is the most important pillar of quality of human and society," Al Muaini added.

Al Muaini stated that the phrase, 'Don't Worry,' is profound in its meaning, according to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and reassures everyone that everything will be fine. "Today, the concept of health is not limited to physical health, but it also includes mental health. During this period, and due to the social, professional, and educational changes that directly affect our lives, we need to support and enhance our mental health to overcome these challenges," he  added.

Al Muaini said that over 50 specialists, psychologists and social workers are voluntarily participating in the national campaign to serve the country, which includes three main components focusing on providing psychological support to all members of society, especially as this type of support is one of the necessary community needs during the current circumstances.

The first component, 'Let's Support Together,' aims to answer enquiries regarding psychological challenges, provide educational advice, and support individuals in facing challenges, through daily live broadcasts on the social media networks of the National Programme for Happiness and Quality of Life, @HappyUAE. Two events are broadcast every day, with the first being at 17:30 in English and the second at 20:30 in Arabic to benefit all segments of society.

Al Muaini explained that the number of live broadcasts on the programme's social media accounts has reached 30 and covers various topics, including psychological care for senior citizens, psychological care for children, psychological support for working mothers, and how to address anxiety and psychological concerns.

According to scientific studies, fear and anxiety are among the strongest influences that weaken human immunity, and, therefore, it is necessary to learn about how to deal with them. The duration of each broadcast is one hour, attracting some 250,000 views each.

Al Muaini explained that the second component of the campaign is the hosting of closed virtual sessions, entitled, 'Let's Talk Together,' which aim to provide psychosocial support to specific groups of society, to enable them to talk to each other in a safe environment to discuss the psychological challenges they are facing.

The programme has organised over eight closed psychological support sessions to maintain the privacy of participants, under the supervision of certified physicians and psychologists. Some 300 people have participated and some sessions were held for those under quarantine, including working mothers, school and university students, and doctors working in the first line of defence.

Some 300,000 people watched "Let's Reassure Each Other" programme Al Muaini noted that the third component of the campaign, titled, "Let's Reassure Each Other," focuses on raising awareness of the importance of psychological resilience and promoting its importance to society. The programme has so far posted more than 21 video clips containing messages of support and reassurance to the community.

The number of people who watched the programme reached some 300,000 viewers.

Al Muaini stressed that the campaign is an effective interactive platform available on a daily basis, to provide psychological support to all segments of society at a time when people require reassurance and psychological support to overcome the current crisis. The campaign hosted doctors working in the first line of defence and their enquiries were answered directly. A group of people under quarantine was also involved in the closed support sessions, which were also popular with participating doctors.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Dubai, Mar 5: A 16-year-old Indian girl here has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed infection cases in the UAE to 28, according to media reports.

Health officials here confirmed on Wednesday that a new coronavirus case was detected in the girl who attended an Indian school in Dubai, Al-Arabiya website reported.

The girl tested positive for the COVID-19 after she contracted the infection from her father who travelled overseas, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was quoted as saying by the report.

The Indian High School in Dubai will be closed from Thursday as a precautionary measure, the Gulf News reported.

"As a precautionary measure, Indian High School Group of schools is closed from Thursday, March 5. Detailed circular about exams will be mailed. Your well-being is important. Take care," the report said.

The father developed symptoms of the virus five days after returning to Dubai. Both the student and family members have been quarantined in hospital and are stable and recovering well. All other family members have also been quarantined, the Khaleej Times reported.

"Within the framework of comprehensive preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus, the DHA is conducting tests and monitoring the students, staff and workers of the school that may have interacted with the coronavirus patient," the DHA was quoted as saying by the Gulf News.

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