The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) signed a cooperation agreement with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC), one of the largest hospitals for critical care in the UAE and a member of the PureHealth Network. This agreement is part of its “Reading in Public” initiative, which aims to promote national intellectual output.
The agreement was signed by His Excellency Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji, Executive Director of the ALC, and Dr Marwan Al Kaabi, Acting Chief Executive Officer of SSMC. It aims to support the “Reading in Public” initiative and promote the Arabic language by expanding the scope of the initiative to include the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, and providing books from various categories to match the interests of SSMC staff and visitors.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two entities will work to reinforce the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre’s role in supporting the cultural sector in Abu Dhabi by promoting the habit of reading in the community and fostering lifelong learning.
“Signing the cooperation agreement with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City to support the Reading in Public initiative reflects our shared commitment to enhancing culture and knowledge in our community, and to providing a knowledge-rich environment for the Medical City’s visitors by offering them a range of books and reading materials that suit their interests”, said HE Saeed Hamdan Al Tunaiji. “We believe that reading is more than just a means of entertainment, but a tool for stimulating the mind and enhancing mental health, making our partnership with SSMC an important step towards supporting these goals”.
His Excellency added, “Studies have also shown that providing books in healthcare facilities helps reduce stress and improve patients’ experience during their hospital stay”. He said, “The partnership with Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City will help to expand the scope of the Reading in Public initiative and enhance the presence of the Arabic language as a tool for entertainment, knowledge and communication”.
Commenting on this agreement, Dr Marwan Al Kaabi said: “Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City is committed to providing an exceptional experience for patients. By collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, we aim to strengthen our focus on the Arabic language and support our mutual goals of increasing awareness, culture, and knowledge among visitors and patients. SSMC delivers healthcare services to over 5,000 patients every week, providing an excellent opportunity to enrich the cultural journey and promote reading in Abu Dhabi”.
The agreement calls for selecting areas that appeal to the public and that encourage reading, in addition to supporting the publication of reading materials in Arabic through the translation of intellectual content from various languages into Arabic, driving human capital development, and enhancing the intellectual abilities of the community.
The “Reading in Public” initiative, launched by the ALC under the Kalima Reading Club, targets eight locations in its first phase, selected for their suitability to the initiative’s goals. These include hotels, hospitals, and cafes, and were selected to encourage people to use waiting spaces to enrich their culture and knowledge.
The initiative provides books published by the Kalima Translation Project and the Esdarat Project. Showcased books undergo a selection process that includes analysing their popularity and updating them quarterly according to the needs of the target audience, ensuring that they have access to the latest publications that meet their objectives and enhance their knowledge.
