Women in the Arab World see illness as a weakness, Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, said in an exclusive recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia .
In excerpts from the conversation, Princess Haya said that women themselves are often the last to seek medical attention due to the stigma surrounding poor health.
“In the Arab world, and the world in general, women are probably the last people who actually admit to having a bad day, to not feeling quite well. There’s this attitude that you have to push on and just keep going and they’re generally the ones that we see last in a hospital looking for help.”
Princess Haya, who is chairman of Dubai Healthcare City, said more needs to be done to encourage women in the region to come forward for breast cancer treatment.
“I do think that there is more that can be done in areas such as breast cancer.
“This is something that we have to work on in the Arab world because there’s this stigma that you feel you can’t come forward and admit that maybe there’s something you need to treat,” she said.
Instagram picture of Sheikh Haya inaugurating the Medcare Women & Children Hospital with 90% female staff.
During the three-part interview, also published in the 418-page September issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, the princess spoke about her children’s philanthropic instincts and gave parental tips for preventing childhood obesity.
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