Given the high prevalence of the chronic disease in the UAE, which has the second highest rate in the world, a private healthcare group in Dubai has plans to launch a one-stop-shop for diabetes products in their chain of pharmacies.

The new initiative is part of a big-scale anti-diabetes drive planned by DM Health Care (formerly known as Dr Moopen’s Group) that owns a chain of 70 clinics, pharmacies and hospitals across GCC countries.

The “diabetes corner” in Medshops —which has 41 outlets across the UAE —is a highlight of the campaign against the endocrine disorder, according to the group’s chairman Dr Azad Moopen.

“Diabetes is the most dangerous silent killer and we would like to take up this campaign in a big way as part of our CSR (corporate social responsibility) programme,” Dr Moopen told Khaleej Times.

“Through this campaign, we want to create awareness about preventive measures and also provide a holistic approach to diabetes care,” he said.

The “diabetes corner,” he said, will be designed in such a way that a patient at any stage of diabetes can avail easy access to all that is required by him or her. “That is why we are going to include the specific types of nutritious food for diabetics also in the same corner from where they can purchase their drugs and medical equipment. They can also receive lots of information about prevention and care of diabetes from this corner.”

Dr Moopen said the service would be linked to the group’s clinics and hospitals so that patients can also avail more comprehensive care through these facilities.

“We are also launching a clinic exclusively for diabetes care. This is expected to be complete by the end of this year,” he said.

After the experimental phase of this diabetic clinic, the group is planning to launch a similar facility in other GCC countries. “We are planning to have at least one diabetes clinic in each GCC country.”

One in five persons in the UAE is diabetic. According to official figures, 1,080 people died in Dubai in 2008 due to diabetes related complications. The UAE government has launched several initiatives to prevent and manage the chronic disease that annually takes up Dhs100 to Dhs200 million of the health ministry’s budget.

sajila@khaleejtimes.com