Communications from the frontline

It’s hard to believe that it has almost been two years since our world was changed forever because of COVID-19.

In my two decades working in marketing and communications, this has been – without a doubt – the most challenging period I have ever faced. Yet it also offered valuable lessons that I will never forget. In times of crisis, the power of communications brings us together and keeps us going.

At SEHA, we were on the frontlines trying to navigate the unexpected at unprecedented speed. As I reflect, it’s amazing to see how far we have come.

At the height of the pandemic, SEHA dedicated 51 facilities, drive-through centers, and isolation centers to COVID-19 patients, adding over 11,200 beds to accommodate the high volume of in-patients. Roughly 9 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted to date. This has played a vital role in the nation’s vaccination drive with close to 1.5 million doses administered across multiple sites. This wouldn’t have been possible without the extraordinary dedication and resolve from our colleagues across all our facilities.

However, none of this was easy. It left us exhausted. Tired. Raw.

From the frontline all the way to the boardroom, emotions were palpable with no end to the crisis in sight. Many SEHA workers hadn’t seen their families in months – even years. What kept us all going was the clear direction, leadership, and empathy from the UAE Government, as well as our incredible leaders within SEHA.

From the launch of SEHA’s first testing facility – which was one of the first globally – to our successful vaccination program, the UAE’s leaders were right by our side, leading from the front and supporting us in every move. This visibility, as well as the Government’s pragmatism and agility, helped build trust on a country level as well as trust for our organization.

It’s no surprise that Abu Dhabi was ranked as the safest city in the world during the pandemic and continually set impressive new benchmarks along the way. This has undoubtedly established Abu Dhabi as a leader in healthcare. You can quote me on this, I predict that the West will increasingly start to look towards the UAE for learnings and best practices, rather than the other way around.

When it comes to learnings, no one can underestimate the importance of external communications during a time like this. With new announcements and breakthroughs constantly emerging, we at SEHA had to keep our fingers on the pulse and be quick to react.

We had a unique role and responsibility in cascading important and consistent health messaging across the emirate and beyond. During this period, people were increasingly looking to SEHA for credible and trusted information.

As a communicator, my biggest learning was around the power of internal communications and employee engagement. Why was the UAE so successful in its COVID-19 response?

Simply, it is down to people. Behind every statistic and number, there is a SEHA employee who has put our country first. Through our communications, we echoed this same spirit.

At the end of the day, we are all human, and communications during a time of crisis can never be one-way. Two-way dialogue is essential – especially when part of a large organization with over 14,000 employees.

We made a conscious effort to ensure our employees’ voices were heard and that they were part of every decision and every discussion. We encouraged our employees to share concerns through an interactive portal and established a committee to evaluate and action every entry.

Employee appreciation was important to help keep our teams motivated. To help boost morale when frontline healthcare workers needed it most, SEHA conceptualized the ‘SEHA Heroes Flight to Reunite’ campaign and gave 14,000 employees round-trip tickets to visit their home country as a small token of appreciation for their tireless efforts.

As we look to put the last two years behind us and start down the road to a full recovery, I am certain that the learnings from this period will stay with me forever. Personally, I could not be prouder to be a communicator at SEHA and to witness the true difference we can make in people’s lives.