Middle East Healthcare News » UAE

Novartis Collaborates With Exhealth to Roll Out ‘No Tobacco Campaign’

ICTFH — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:47:16 +0000

Novartis, in collaboration with ExHealth, is rolling out No Tobacco Campaign 2010, 15th May – 11th August, a three month initiative in UAE to highlight issues of smoking and to implement a tobacco free nation.

“With such risk in sight Novartis feels the need to unite efforts in implementing a tobacco free nation as a responsible corporate citizen,” said Fayez Awadeh – Brand Manager – Novartis Consumer Health.

The first phase of the campaign, 15th May to 31st May, will visit popular malls across Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai in close interaction with mall visitors through campaign stands which will offer nicotine tests, free consultation with doctors and ‘Quit Smoking’ membership drive for people to sign up for.

Nicotinell offers a unique Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) to help smokers who sign up to break their smoking habit. NRT is one of the safest methods available. The 12 week program provides a measured dose of nicotine to help reduce the cravings until smokers are completely smoke free.

In partnership with MOH, Novartis consumer health has taken numerous bold initiatives to make UAE smoke free, for instance, Sponsoring six MOH smoking cessation clinics in Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah and Ras Al- Khaimah. The clinics provide free consultation and subsidized medication to all UAE residents. More than 8000 patients have already been treated through the clinic program. Another great initiative taken was educating and training pharmacists about smoking cessation programs through Novartis pharmacist Academy.

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Mubadala Healthcare Expands Plan for Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

ICTFH — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:38:31 +0000

Mubadala Healthcare announced plans to expand the existing services of Imperial College London Diabetes Center (ICLDC) through the establishment of a second facility in Al Ain.

Accordingly, this new Center will provide world-class medical care for local residents in Al Ain and the surrounding region from the middle of next year.

The Center is founded on the four pillars of treatment, training, public health and research, and provides the highest level of specialized and comprehensive patient care – from first diagnosis to the management of all the complications associated with diabetes. The expansion of services into Al Ain will be an extension of the same model of care.

The International Diabetes Federation has estimated that 18.7% of the UAE population is living with Diabetes and according to the Centre’s figures, an average of 15% of their patients reside outside Abu Dhabi in Al Ain.

“It is testament to the excellent work carried out at the Centre over the past four years that we are now able to replicate the same model of care for patients living outside the capital. I am delighted to build upon our partnership with Imperial College London with a second facility and improve access to world-class healthcare in the region,” said Suhail Mahmood Al Ansari, Associate Director of Mubadala Healthcare and Chairman of ICLDC.

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Too Much Salt Increases Heart Disease Risk

ICTFH — Sun, 16 May 2010 14:08:26 +0000

UAE doctors are warning that the public is eating too much salt, which increasing their risk of developing high blood pressure which leads to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes.

High salt intake is estimated to be the cause of around one third of hypertension cases, worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an average daily intake of 5 grammes of salt per day. However, in the UAE the average intake of dietary salt is estimated to be around 7 g/pd.

This high intake of dietary salt has been linked to an increase in consumption of fast food and pre-packaged meals in the UAE over recent years these foods not only contain high levels of fat but also high levels of sodium (salt).

Medical estimates put the average consumption of salt in the UAE at 7 grammes per day, which is significantly higher than internationally recommended levels. The need to cut dietary salt is an issue that we urgently need to highlight in the UAE as more people adopt Western lifestyles, which involves an increase in the consumption of packaged, restaurant and fast foods that contain high levels of sodium, warned Dr. Wael Almahmeed, a Cardiologist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, and President of Emirates Cardiac Society (ECS).

Too much dietary salt is a major risk factor for developing hypertension, but people can lower this risk by not adding salt to their food. Hypertension increases the risk of developing stroke, heart disease, in the form of heart attacks and heart failure, and kidney problems, which if left untreated can lead to kidney failure and the need for dialysis, as well as possible loss of sight, added Dr. Arif Al Mulla, Head of Cardiology at Dubai Hospital.

Prevalence data cited by UAE doctors suggests that up to 27.9 percent of the countrys population over the age of 18 suffer from high blood pressure [1], which is known as the silent killer, because it has no obvious symptoms but increases the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, all of which reduce life expectancy.

Because of modern lifestyles, which involve eating more fast foods that contain high levels of salt, our children are at a higher risk of high blood pressure at an early age. People should have their blood pressure checked annually and even more regularly if they suffer from obesity, stress and a family history of the disease, which puts you at an even higher risk of developing hypertension, concluded Dr. Abdulla Shehab, Director of Continuing Medical Education for the ECS, and the Faculty of Medicine at UAE University, Al Ain.

Thousands of UAE residents have undergone free blood pressure screening and education in the past week at nine different events held at hospitals, private companies and shopping malls across the country, with the support of Novartis, the global sponsors of this years World Hypertension Day (see associated press release attached).

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Public Private Partnerships Have Important Role in Growth of Healthcare Sector

ICTFH — Sun, 16 May 2010 13:54:08 +0000

A panel of expert healthcare professionals and media representatives observed that public private partnerships (PPPs) have a dominant role in driving the sustainable growth of the Middle East healthcare sector, at the third GE Healthcare Middle East Media Summit in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi.

Healthcare professionals from around the Middle East region converged to debate on wide-ranging topics including the current state of healthcare. They underscored the need for governments to focus on an earlier model of healthcare delivery based on timely diagnosis and treatment, which ultimately benefits the patients.

Nabil Habayeb, President & CEO, GE Middle East and Africa, highlighted the importance of GEs healthymagination initiative that is focused on sustainable healthcare by reducing costs, improving quality and enhancing access of care to the people. GE has two powerful drivers for sustainable growth ecomagination, which is about a healthier planet; and healthymagination, which is for healthier people.

Aziz Koleilat, General Manager, GE Healthcare for the Middle East, added: With the population in the region projected to grow by some 30 per cent to 53.5 million in the next decade, and increasing urbanization, the society faces new healthcare challenges. There are increased health risks associated with the environment and factors like smoking, unbalanced diets, sedentary living, and the potential for disease outbreaks. All this put a burden on resources both human and financial. This can be addressed only through earlier care by leveraging technological advances.

To provide clear solutions-based insights, the GE Healthcare Middle East Summit discussed pertinent topics including how advanced technologies will improve hospital efficiency and productivity, the role of partnerships in driving change, innovations in healthcare and regional healthcare trends with a focus on breast cancer.

The summit also discussed the relevance of healthymagination to the region, especially the GCC countries, where lifestyle diseases are on the rise with obesity, diabetes and stress being pressing challenges faced by the population.

The need for knowledge-sharing and competency building was highlighted at the Summit with Dr Tariq S Al Khuwaitir, Chairman – Department of Medicine and Medical Director, King Saud Medical Complex, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, elaborating on the success in building leaders in the Saudi healthcare system in partnership with GE Healthcare.

In addition to hosting a Saudi delegation at Crotonville LIG, GE Healthcare is organizing course sessions in Riyadh, which will reach at least 300 leading healthcare professionals this year. This Leadership, Innovation and Growth model is now being replicated in Saudi Arabia through hands-on learning sessions, and follow-up practices at the workplace where participants spend three weeks applying the new skills.

Dr Al Khuwaitir highlighted the role of GEs performance solutions in achieving increased hospital efficiency and productivity by achieving as much as 90 per cent operation room utilization, 44 per cent increase in efficiency and 41 per cent decrease in cancellations.

At the Summit, Dr Finn Göldner, Director Health System Financing of Abu Dhabi Health Authority, discussed the state of healthcare in Abu Dhabi emphasizing on the emirates health system reform. Haider Khan, Head Business Development of Etisalat Health & Hospitality; and Imad Ghandour, Executive Director Private Equity and Head of Strategy & Research, Gulf Capital, discussed how partnerships drive change in the region.

Highlighting the emphasis on public private partnerships, GE had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Etisalat to introduce the latest healthcare solutions in the UAE. Etisalat will leverage GE Healthcares innovative solutions and expertise in capturing patient information. This will result in the development and offering of medical data management and remote clinical support services via Etisalats state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure.

Imad Ghandour stressed on Gulf Capitals vision of creating the largest chain of radiology centers in the Middle East and North Africa region, and reiterated its partnership with GE Healthcare in bringing in advanced diagnostic technologies to the region. Radiology centers offering the latest advances will be opened in all major areas in Egypt and Saudi Arabia by the end of 2011, in addition to upgrading the equipment and services in five centers this year.

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DHA Holds The Celebration of The International Nurses Day 2010

ICTFH — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:31:16 +0000

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) celebrated International Nurses Day on the Wednesday, May 12, at the DHA medical library.

Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the DHA is well aware of the importance of nurses in the health sector and felicitates them for their contribution. At the DHA, we are proud to have excellent talent-pool and we always provide our staff with continuous training opportunities to further enhance their skills. Nurses are in many ways the backbone of the healthcare system and they contribute greatly to the betterment of healthcare services.”

He highlighted that recently the DHA hospitals to complete a one year midwifery course. “We are proud to mention that 23 of our nurses completed the first midwifery course in the UAE and are positively contributing to the development of this specialized nursing field.”

This year, the United Nations (UN) declared 2010 to be the International Year of the Nurse and the theme is – Nurses leading the fight against chronic diseases with a vision towards UN millennium development goals.

Based on this theme, the conference held many lectures and Dr. Zakaria Zaki Al Attal, Director of Quality & Performance Management, Hospitals Services Sector at the DHA highlighted the importance of sustaining and improving the quality of service that nurses provide their patients. He stressed on the importance of training to ensure nurses were constantly updated with the latest developments in their field.

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Osteoporosis Experts Find Vitamin D Insufficiency ‘Endemic’ in UAE

ICTFH — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:21:12 +0000

During the “Optimizing Osteoporosis Treatment” Speaker Tour in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, osteoporosis experts issued a public warning that vitamin D insufficiency is ‘endemic’ in the UAE, due to lack of exposure to sunlight and changes in diet, which leads to an increased risk of the debilitating bone disease osteoporosis and associated bone fractures.

“Vitamin D insufficiency is endemic across the UAE and the Gulf, almost everyone who walks into my clinic suffers from it. Out of 1,000 patients on my list only eight patients have normal levels of vitamin D, underscoring the fact that this is an important issue that needs to be urgently addressed,” revealed Dr. Al Shehhi, Head of Rheumatology at Al Qassimi Hospital, Sharjah, chair of the Dubai meeting.

“Insufficiency in vitamin D is an important issue and one of the major causes of osteomalacia (soft bones) and osteoporosis (fragile bones) both here and across the world. Osteoporosis increases the risk of bone fracture that can severely affect people’s mobility, which often means they require hospitalization and nursing care after discharge, adding extra costs to the healthcare system,” added Dr. Mustafa Al Izzi, Head of the Rheumatology Unit at Zayed Military Hospital, Abu Dhabi, chair of the Abu Dhabi meeting.

Vitamin D is essential for bone health as it assists in the absorption of calcium in the body, without which the bones become less dense and fracture easily. Many people do not know they have osteoporosis until they suffer a fracture and undergo a Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan to check their bone density.

In the UAE, insufficiency in vitamin D within the local population has become more prevalent in the recent years due to lifestyle changes, which mean Emirati men and women spend less time in the sun and eat fewer foods rich in vitamin D, such as fish and eggs, and calcium which is most commonly consumed in milk.

“Now Emiratis spend very little time in the sun, preferring to be inside their homes or shopping malls where the windows prevent penetration of ultraviolet rays. Drinking milk on a daily basis is also much less common than it used to be, adding to the problem of vitamin D insufficiency and poor bone health,” commented Dr. Al Suhaili who is also Chairman of the Emirates Osteoporosis Society (EOS).

Delegates attending the presentation heard that treating osteoporosis involves boosting absorption of calcium by the bones using bisphosphonate drugs, which are either taken weekly or monthly orally. However, a new medication, zoledronic acid (Aclasta), which is given via an infusion, only needs to be administered once a year, so helping to improve medication compliance.

Professor Eriksen explained: “The fact that Aclasta is given as a once yearly infusion is appreciated as very convenient by patients. I have personally given this drug to around 300 patients, and find this treatment effective and safe. The reduction in fractures, which is seen after treatment with Aclasta is the most pronounced seen with any bisphosphonate.”

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Ministry of Health Handles Anti-Tobacco Regulatory Laws

ICTFH — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:59:42 +0000

UAE Minister of Health, Dr. Hanif Hassan, has lauded efforts of the competent authorities, in cooperation with the Ministry in fighting smoking habit, ratifying federal law concerning tobacco control pointing out the cooperation between all relevant authorities in the UAE.

He said: “The UAE gives great concern to health policies and works on developing them according to the requirements and demands of modern times. Such policies would definitely have a direct impact on health practices, medical standards in order to raise the health sector and provide healthcare quality services”.

The Health Minister called the members of the society to consider the efforts of the committee members who seek for supporting health practices and drafting such bylaws before their submission to the higher authorities in the UAE.

The importance of consultation and exchanging views definitely supports the regulations and executive bylaws.Dr. Hanif focused on the importance of health education and clarifying such bylaws to the members of the community noting the necessity of cooperation between societal organizations in acknowledging the younger generations with the dangers of smoking and its effect on the health of both individuals and society members.

In addition, Dr. Weddad Al Maydoor, gave a detailed presentation about the implemented procedures and reviewed the different articles of the law.

The meeting discussed the main guidelines and formation of the team members in relation to the preparation of the executive by-laws.Dr. Mahmood Fikri, Executive Director for Health Policies said:
“The meeting discussed the arrangements of organizing a workshop between 24-25 May in cooperation with the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office in the attendance of 5 experts who participated in the preparation of the executive by laws”.

The law included 25 articles that need to be regulated and clarify the detailed procedures in terms of tobacco products standards and regulations of packaging tobacco products. Dr. Fikri explained that tobacco consumption in the gulf region is an economic, social and health burden for more than 50 years due to the rapid spread of smoking and other habits such as shisha “hanooka” and the electronic cigarette.

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Emarat to Sponsor Thalassemia Awareness Campaign

ICTFH — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:48:56 +0000

Emarat, Emirates General Petroleum Corporation, will participate in sponsoring the Thalassemia Awareness Campaign held under the title “Emirates Free of Thalassemia,” and organized by UAE Genetic Diseases Association.

Abdulla Hassan Al Noman, Manager, Retail Sales Operations at Emarat, stressed the importance of cooperation between the different authorities to defeat this disease, saying the UAE leaders are providing all the support and care needed to alleviate its negative effects.

He hoped that Emarat’s participation in this campaign, along with the other participators from companies, institutions and individuals, shall support this humane initiative, alleviate the suffering of Thalassemia effects and help in boosting the morale of the sick to face this disease with willpower and strong determination.

Thus, staff in the service stations will be wearing specially-designed T-shirts and caps with “Emirates Free of Thalassemia” massage during the period of 14-15 May, 2010. Thalassemia is an ailment that is found all over the world, with higher rates in some countries, such as those around the Mediterranean. As such, it is also called “the Mediterranean Anemia”.

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UAE Health Minister Visits New Medical Complex in Ajman

ICTFH — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:14:40 +0000

UAE Minister of Health, Dr. Hanif Hassan Ali, visited the new medical complex in Ajman in preparation for its opening during the forthcoming period.

The UAE Minister of Health’s work of building and constructing the ministry’s facilities such as the construction, technical and medical equipments is considered as part of institutional cooperation for building a medical integrated system consistent with the strategies and ambitions of the ministry and medical district.

The new complex includes primary healthcare, mother and childhood and schools’ health department. The complex will be officially opened during the forthcoming period to receive more than 800 visitors including expat labors.

In addition, the new complex will represent a vital transition in terms of developing performances and remedial service to the patients. It also contains dental specialist centers and preventive medicine in addition to mother and childhood and schools’ health clinics.

Moreover, the complex includes new treatment technologies in a number of clinics for specialized dental specialists such as the development of the air duct control rooms, central suction, central sterilization rooms.

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DP World Supports Ras Morbat Clinic and A Training Centre in Yemen

ICTFH — Wed, 05 May 2010 14:04:41 +0000

DP World, the world’s fourth-largest marine terminal operator, will support two major Aden-based community initiatives, the Ras Morbat Clinic and Training Centre. The two projects are already creating critical medical capacity in a city without enough doctors. However, additional support comes from DP World IT services supplier Dimension Data and Forbes Lux FZE, manufacturer of water filtration and purification systems.

DP World’s contribution to the Ras Morbat Clinic includes underwriting two, two-year training programmes for staff doctors in the area of paediatrics and ophthalmology at the University of Aden, with supplementary four-week annual training at Oasis Hospital in UAE.

Additional DP World funding goes towards construction and operation of the Ras Morbat Institute, training local residents in advanced woodwork and carpentry, along with the skills to run their own businesses.

Mohammed Sharaf, Chief Executive Officer, DP World said, “The partnership between Ras Morbat staff, DP World employees and suppliers, and Yemeni and UAE medical institutions brings together a wide range of local and international resources and incorporates training and financing mechanisms to make sure the programme will continue well beyond the initial funding. This partnership approach and focus on creating sustainable community initiatives is part of our commitment to the communities in which operate.”

Arif Bin Adhed, Managing Director – DP World Aden, said: “DP World congratulates Ras Morbat Clinic and Vocational Training Centre for its long and deep record of service to the local community. DP World Aden looks forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.”

Support for the Ras Morbat Clinic and Institute is part of DP World’s Responsible Business Programme, facilitating projects globally under four themes: ‘Developing Port Communities’ (job creation), Vocational Training, Transportation Safety, and ‘Moving Lives’, which addresses basic human needs, with a particular emphasis on access to clean water and medical care.

DP World seeks to go “beyond philanthropy” to create initiatives that have the potential to be self-sustaining, involve DP World employees, and cement partnerships with a range of local and international organizations.

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Middle East Healthcare News » UAE

Novartis Collaborates With Exhealth to Roll Out ‘No Tobacco Campaign’

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Mubadala Healthcare Expands Plan for Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

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