Diabetes a real danger in UAE

If there was ever a means needed to highlight the scourge of diabetes, it is from the words of former US president Bill Clinton. Speaking at the Mena Diabetes Leadership Forum, the former president issued a clarion call for an organised and sustained effort to fight the debilitating disease and the threat it poses in the region in particular.

For the UAE the threat is very real: nearly 20 per cent of the population is diabetic, and unless this staggering rate is reversed, the disease could consume 13 per cent of health care budgets in the Mena region by 2025. As it stands, five of the 10 countries with the highest rates of diabetes are in the region. For medical authorities the fight against diabetes must take priority and a detailed and concerted effort is needed to reduce rates.

For those who suffer from diabetes, the health care authorities must ensure fully integrated care models with the latest medication and treatment techniques. And authorities need to ensure there is a focused and prolonged campaign of education and public awareness to inform all residents of the risks from the disease.

And healthy lifestyle choices need to be embraced and adopted by all.