Abu Dhabi: A third branch of a specialist diabetes care facility, the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), opened in the capital today (November 6).

The new branch is located in Zayed Sport City, next to Healthpoint. Both facilities are managed by Mubadala Healthcare, the dedicated health wing of Abu Dhabi Government-owned investment and development company, Mubadala.

Once fully operational, the new ICLDC branch will have more than 70 clinical and non-clinical staff. Patients will have access to specialist diabetes management and treatment, as well as services such as cardiology and continual care for those who undergo bariatric surgery at Healthpoint.

The ICLDC branch was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Abu Dhabi Government officials. It spans 2,370 square metres, and is expected to serve more than 200 patients every day.

“Mubadala’s health-care network was initiated in 2006 to realise Abu Dhabi’s strategic goal of a world-class, sustainable health-care sector. ICLDC opened in the same year as our first health-care venture. The new branch is the latest demonstration of our commitment to delivering new, cutting-edge treatment options for our patients in a way that improves outcomes and makes for a more complete patient care experience,” said Waleed Al Muhairi, deputy group chief executive officer and chief executive officer for emerging sectors at Mubadala.

Dr Maha Barakat, director-general at the emirate’s health sector regulator, the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Haad), said the facility would enhance Abu Dhabi’s efforts to tackle diabetes.

About 19.3 per cent of the UAE’s adult population between the ages of 20 and 79 is known to suffer from diabetes. Numerically, this means that there were over 1 million people in the country living with diabetes in 2015, making the UAE the country with the 13th highest comparative prevalence of the disease. There is also a high prevalence of comorbidities, including obesity, hypertension and hypercholesterimia.

According to the ICLDC, the prevalence of diabetes in the UAE is also rising at a faster rate than in both the Middle East and North Africa region and the rest of the world. Rapid economic growth, sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets are all risk factors, which is why the number of people with diabetes is expected to double to 2.2 million by 2040.

ICLDC opened its first facility off Khaleej Al Arabi Street in Abu Dhabi City, followed by a second branch in Al Ain. They have so far served more than 160,000 people, according to the facility’s webpage.

The facility will organise its annual walkathon to create awareness about diabetes and its risks on November 11.