UAE | Health
Health care expands with focus on reproductive and lifestyle disorders
Reducing Diabetes, hypertension, offering in vitro fertilisation among aims
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter and Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 December 29, 2011
- Image Credit: Zarina Fernandes/Gulf News Archives
- The trauma centre at Rashid Hospital in Dubai. The emirate’s health authority has taken a major initiative to revamp the sector and make sure that everyone has faster access to health care services.
Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Health care is an ever-changing and growing sector within the UAE, and a look at the year gone by points out some key changes.
While the number of health care facilities across the country grew, many critical gaps in treatment specialities were also marked out for action.
In the emirate of Abu Dhabi, this included heightened attention towards mental health, a topic that was discussed extensively at a host of medical conferences in 2011. Officials from the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) also told Gulf News that the federal mental health act issued in 1981 is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Health and health care authorities across the country.
While residents were urged to screen for risks and take preventative measures against non-communicable diseases like breast cancer and diabetes, free vaccines to protect against cervical cancer, the third most prevalent cancer among women in the UAE, began to be offered to both expatriate and Emirati girls studying in grade 11 within the emirate's schools.
Reproductive medicine
The year also saw the announcement of plans to open a new centre for reproductive medicine solutions, including In Vitro Fertilisation options for married couples. The centre, which will be managed by the University Hospital Brussels, will be part of an upcoming hospital in the capital called Burjeel Hospital, and hopes to reduce the need for couples to travel abroad for such reproductive medical facilities.
Meanwhile, mandatory insurance coverage reached 98 per cent of the population in the emirate. Following a greater number of inspection visits conducted by the HAAD to various organisations, the number of complaints regarding compliance to the insurance guidelines also fell.
And in a patient satisfaction survey revealed by the HAAD in June, residents across the emirate reported being satisfied with the ample opportunities to interact with their health care professionals. They, however, also voiced concerns about extended waiting times at medical facilities.
Childhood health was also a major area of focus this year.
Diet and exercise
Following its introduction in 2010, the "Eat Right Get Active" programme gained momentum across schools in Abu Dhabi emirate, with sample menus being introduced in school canteens at the start of the 2011-2012 academic year in September.
The programme, which is a joint initiative by the HAAD, the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority and the Abu Dhabi Education Council, aims to curb rising childhood obesity in the emirate and promote healthier lifestyles among its schoolchildren.
In December, the HAAD also organised a week of activities at various malls to make parents and children more aware of how to avoid poisoning within their homes.
Dubai health authorities last year took a major initiative to revamp the sector and make sure that everyone gets fast access to health care services.
As non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension continued to increase, Dubai Health Authority (DHA) director general Qadi Al Murooshid said there will be a quantum leap in the level of health care and medical services as he announced a long-term strategy.
The plan is to try and control these diseases known as NCDs. Doctors say they are alarmed over the large number of people who are incapacitated due to cardio-vascular diseases. They said while some genetic risk factors cannot be changed, simple lifestyle changes need to be made by a large section of the population.
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