Dubai: The Ministry of Health launched an iPad app for cancer patients at the Arab Congress yesterday as medical professionals debated remote care, monitoring and its technology.
The application connects the cancer patient to a doctor at a Ministry hospital who can offer a treatment plan or give suggestions on how to tackle the side effects of any medication.
The app can be downloaded free from iPad stores and helps link the patient with a medical professional any time of the day.
"This application facilitates communication between cancer patients and physicians in the UAE," said Khalid Majid Lootah, assistant under-secretary for supporting services at the Ministry.
Doctors have suggested that home care for cancer patients needs to be upgraded. Many expatriates who are not covered by medical insurance for home treatment come to hospitals for treatment, they said.
Registry
Since there is no cancer registry in the country it is hard to know how many people suffer from cancer. Medical professionals say that such a registry would help in early detection and treatment. But since there is no tracking system, many patients come in for treatment at an advanced stage or prefer to be treated abroad.
Last year alone 4,000 cancer patients were treated in private and public hospitals across the country. There are two cancer treatment centres in the UAE; Al Tawaam in Al Ain and GICC in Abu Dhabi. A third is being planned in Dubai.
According to a study released during the Congress, about ten per cent of smartphone users in the region use heath apps on their mobile devices. This figure is expected to rise to 33 per cent in three years time.
Such apps are particularly useful for diabetics who need to keep a close watch on their blood glucose levels.
Disease database
Ministry officials said the iPad app will lead to the first phase of a project to provide a correct database of chronic diseases in the country.
According to plans, the cancer care registry and follow-up systems will link all Ministry hospitals and clinics.
The common cancers in the UAE are breast cancer among women and lung cancer in men. Doctors say that thanks to early detection and treatment the number of deaths has dropped.
