DHA launches UAE 2016 Year of Reading with programmes, events

To celebrate the UAE 2016 Year of Reading Initiative, Dubai Health Authority, DHA, has launched a number of programmes and events.

DHA has begun its reading events, in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who declared 2016 to be the year of reading, and Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who called for instilling the culture of reading among the people of the UAE.

DHA’s events were kicked off with a creative opening day that was attended by Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director General of DHA, Mohammad al Murr, and a number of UAE officials, poets and academics, such as Jamal Al Shehy and Ali Al Shaa’ly, among others.

The opening day started with a presentation by Al Murr about his personal experience with reading, emphasizing the importance of reading.

DHA announced that it will continue celebrating the year of reading through a number of initiatives for both the public who visits its hospitals and centers, and among its staff.

These initiatives include giving the public free access to its electronic books and journals, available in the Rashid Medical Library from October 30 to November 12.

The public can access this electronic resource by visiting, and inserting the username ‘dharmlib’ and password ‘read2016’.

The library’s resources include 200,000 eBooks, 8000 Journals, 15 million articles, 2 million photos and videos and 27 databases.

The authority also plans to expand its ‘Mobile Reading Chair’ project to all its hospitals and centers, to encourage its employees to read. It will further install reading screens to encourage DHA facility visitors to read. DHA also plans on airing a short clip as part of its initiative "Al Rawee" (storyteller) to entertain children visiting its facilities.

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