The course was [...]]]>

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced the accreditation of 200 doctors from across Dubai following the Emirates’ First International Diabetes Course organized in collaboration with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). This is the first time this course has been delivered outside the USA and was supported by the Ministry of Health.

The course was discussed in a DHA press conference yesterday in their headquarters attended by Dr. Ahmad Ibrahim Saif Kalban, CEO, Primary Health Sector at the DHA, Dr. Abdulrazzak Ali Almadani CEO of Dubai Hospital, and Dr. Osama Hamdy, representing AACE from Harvard Medical School.

The CEO of the primary health care sector said that the course is part of the efforts undertaken by the Authority to strengthen its strategic partnerships with various medical institutions at the global level with a view to spreading best therapeutic practices for patients with diabetes and their application in various clinics and centers of Dubai Health Authority’s efforts also focus on the training of doctors and specialists involved in caring for patients with diabetes, in light of the of the increasing prevalence of this disease at the national level, which ranks second globally in terms of incidence of the disease.

Dr. Abdulrazzak Ali Almadani, CEO of Dubai Hospital commented, “The current program marks the first time the AACE has conducted a course outside the US, with the UAE’s high prevalence of diabetes one of the key factors in the decision to reaching out to doctors in the Emirates. About 24 per cent of UAE nationals have diabetes making it the second most affected country in the World after Nauru. It has been the DHA’s strategy to tackle this condition using a multidisciplinary approach and training our primary healthcare physicians is a crucial part of this strategy.”

Ms Heba Al Shaar, Director of Institutional Marketing and Communications and committee-member of the DHA’s diabetes screening and awareness program said that in addition to training primary health care doctors the DHA is also focusing on its two-fold strategy of conducting a massive house-hold screening survey to gauge the average percentage of people in Dubai with diabetes as well as a targeted awareness program which will reach out to school children to educate them about the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

Dr. Nahed Monsef Director of health affairs department, primary health care spoke about the importance of improving standards, and updating doctors’ knowledge and skills which will reflect positively on quality of care on key performance indicators related to diabetes management in primary health care. Dr.Monsef added that, “Patient care in the diabetic mini clinic exceeds international standards in some of our health centers.” Dr. Monsef also announced that the provision of international standards of care provided to diabetic patients and the extension of the training programs to all PHC physicians is a key strategic move for the DHA.

Dr Hamdy is one of a number of leading experts who traveled to the UAE to lead the final stage of the course. Broken down into five core modules and delivered over six months, the program addressed a broad spectrum of diabetes-related issues such as obesity, the prevention of type 2 diabetes, management of cardiovascular risk and hypertension in patients with diabetes as well as numerous diabetic diseases.

Course director and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Osama Hamdy said , “With all the new research, practices and technology available, quality of care for diabetes has radically changed. We want to make sure that GPs are up to date on how to best prevent and manage diabetes, particularly in the UAE where it is such an issue. Our course, alongside numerous ministry of health driven initiatives, will certainly help control both the progression of the disease and its high financial and lifestyle costs.” Dr Hamdy added, “The course has been completed amidst recent debate surrounding Avandia, which physicians have been advised to continue prescribing by the AACE, despite a leaked US Senate report which attempted to counter the FDA’s approved course of action.”

“Sixty one per cent of patients with diabetes in the UAE already have kidney disease,” added Dr Hamdy. “The team will be exploring how to improve this statistic and make sure that we cut the cost to the individual and the overall healthcare system. We will also be sharing some best-practice gathered during the Diabetes Prevention Program, a major multicenter clinical research study conducted in the US. From the study we discovered that participants who lost a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity sharply reduced their chances of developing diabetes. Arming GPs in the UAE with the knowledge to affect this change should have a strongly positive impact on the prevalence of diabetes.”

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Dieticians Ms Emilie Hartmann and Ms Tracy Friedrick – key members of the Nutrition & Dietetics Services of Emaar Healthcare Group. – will offer [...]]]>

Emaar Healthcare Group and Methodist International is marking ‘Nutrition Month’ during the month of March by offering free nutrition consultation at Meadows Clinic, the newly opened healthcare centre in The Meadows community.

Dieticians Ms Emilie Hartmann and Ms Tracy Friedrick – key members of the Nutrition & Dietetics Services of Emaar Healthcare Group. – will offer complimentary nutrition consultation every Sunday and Wednesday through the month. Community residents and members of the public can benefit from the consultations, offering advice on a range of nutrition-related issues.

Mr. Omar Al Shunnar, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “Lifestyle diseases such as obesity-related disorders, diabetes and heart disease are the key healthcare concerns faced by the local population. More often, these have a direct linkage with the pattern of nutrition. The complimentary nutrition consultation offered at our new Meadows Clinic is aimed at introducing healthy living concepts among the public.”

He added: “The month-long consultation also highlights the community outreach initiatives of Emaar Healthcare Group Meadows Clinic is part of our development ethos of creating integrated lifestyle communities, and offers world-class healthcare service easily accessible for residents in the Emirates Living community. The nutrition consultation is a value addition to the community.”

Emaar Healthcare Group’s Nutrition & Dietetics Services offers the full range of services including healthy eating, weight loss, diabetes management, high cholesterol and blood pressure management, antenatal care, nutrition issue relating to gastrointestinal health, food allergies, osteoporosis, health screenings and disease prevention, among others.

Ms Hartmann is a specialist dietician focused on bariatric programmes, health check-ups, gastroenterology related concerns and surgical & non-surgical weight loss. Ms Friedrick, also a certified diabetes educator, focuses on diabetes programmes, fertility/antenatal and toddler nutrition, endocrine related concerns and cardiac health.

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The grants are part of Sanofi’s ‘Devoted’ initiative, launched in the Middle East in 2007 to improve and support the management and treatment of [...]]]>

Sanofi aventis announced today that five doctors from across the GCC region have been awarded grants to implement new research, screening and care initiatives to prevent and treat diabetes across the Gulf.

The grants are part of Sanofi’s ‘Devoted’ initiative, launched in the Middle East in 2007 to improve and support the management and treatment of diabetes, among the most worrisome health threats to the Arab world.

Grant winners include:
UAE’s Dr. Hussein Saadi, Professor of Internal Medicine & Consultant Endocrinology at UAE University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, for a survey of Emirati adults to determine the prevalence of diabetic complications.

Dr. Ghaida Qadaha, Consultant Diabetology, Rashid Hospital in Dubai, accompanied by two members of her team, composed of Dr. Khadeeja Hafez and Dr. Sameem Matu, were chosen for creating two extraordinary initiatives to combat diabetes. The first initiative involves training nursing staff that deal with diabetic patients in the UAE. The objective is to train nurses to directly provide diabetic patients with health information on how to gain control of their blood sugar levels by becoming what is known as Diabetes Educators. The second project is aimed at conducting a national survey to assess the prevalence of obesity and diabetes among schoolchildren in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Wiam Ibrahim Hussein, Consultant Endocrinology of Bahrain’s Gulf Diabetes Specialist Centre, for a project using short-message services (SMS) to manage diabetes; and Dr. Mireille Samson, Consultant family Medicine & Endocrinology, of the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre in Abu Dhabi, for a diabetes screening project.

Devoted winners each receive a financial grant form Sanofi-aventis, to be used towards the implementation of their projects. The third edition of the ‘Devoted’ grants competition, open only to practicing diabetes specialists, drew more than 24 entries from across the Gulf region.

‘More than three million individuals across the Gulf region have diabetes, and millions more are at risk. The grants represent Sanofi-aventis’ commitment to improving health and well-being across the Gulf community, by advancing the work of physicians, researchers and educators working on the frontlines of diabetes prevention and care,’ said Jean Marc Voissier, General Manager, Sanofi-aventis Gulf.

‘As the number of diabetic patients continues to rise in the region, particularly in the UAE, the Devoted grants will help pave the way for advanced clinical research that will reduce the risks of diabetes while improving the way the disease is treated. We are very pleased to recognize these practitioners who are making significant contributions to the field of diabetic research.’

continued Jean-Marc.

All the 2009 grant recipients thanked Sanofi-aventis for supporting their projects, most of which focused on improving patient diagnosis or patient and family empowerment. Early detection of diabetes, and optimal management, can significantly improve health outcomes for patients and families.

Project summaries
Dr. Hussein Saadi, from the UAE University, hopes to conduct a survey of 800 Emirati adults that are newly diagnosed with diabetes and other undiagnosed or untested Emiratis, by examining their health and lifestyle patterns. The project, Dr. Saadi said, hopes to increase community awareness of the serious nature of diabetes if not diagnosed early. The project will also raise awareness of how early diagnosis can extremely reduce or stop the devastating complications that diabetes eventual causes.

Although recent studies demonstrate that the UAE has the second highest rate of diabetes in the world, Dr. Saadi said, very few studies have looked comprehensively into the prevalence of diabetes complications in the UAE and the factors associated with the rapid onset of these complications.

Dr. Ghaida Qadaha, of Rashid Hospital, aims to train between 80 to 100 interested health professionals in diabetes education through workshops, lectures and an observation programme that assigns 10 patients to every trainee.

‘This project will help us establish a network of health professionals with a certain level of skills, knowledge and experience in the field of diabetes education, to fill the current acute gap of diabetes educators in the UAE,’ Dr. Hafidh said. ‘It will also improve patients’ access to diabetes educational support services.’

Bahrain’s Dr. Wiam Hussein, who hopes to study the effectiveness of text messages between physicians and patients in monitoring blood glucose, physical activity, medication and nutrition levels, believes continuous communication is the key to successful diabetes management. The approach, Dr. Hussein said, harnesses the power of technology to create a supportive social atmosphere for diabetic patients.

Dr. Hussein’s project will involve newly diagnosed patients and equip their physicians, educators and nutritionists with smart phones. Patients will receive the cell phone numbers of each specialist, to use to ask questions, solve problems, set goals and air concerns. At the end of six months, the patients’ results will be compared to standard procedures to evaluate effectiveness.

Dr. Ghaida Qadaha, of Rashid Hospital, also hopes to identify the prevalence of obesity and Type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes among UAE schoolchildren between the ages of 5 and 18. The year-long study, Dr. Qadaha said, will provide the first data on the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in this highly susceptible age group, in addition to updated prevalance figures on overweight and obesity. The resulting data will assist local government and policymakers in determining future health care delivery systems and preventative strategies.

The ‘Could You Have Diabetes?’ screening programme proposed by Dr. Mireille Samson, of the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Centre Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, aims to identify asymptomatic individuals with undiagnosed diabetes through awareness drives through popular media and online channels and mall screenings.

‘If we can identify patients who are unaware of their condition and refer them for further assessment, they will not only benefit from earlier treatment, but we will also be able to prevent chronic hyperglycemia and its long-term complications, improve life expectancy and quality of life,’ Dr. Samson said. ‘In the big picture, this will also reduce the burden of healthcare costs for the government and private sector.’

The five grant winners received their funds on June 2009, and Sanofi-aventis will monitor the progress of the projects.

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