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Time is running out, Antonio Guterres told the 15-member Security Council
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Dh1.6 billion incurred on diabetes-related treatments in the country in 2007 alone
DUBAI — At least Dh1.6 billion ($436,507) was spent on diabetes-related treatments in the UAE in 2007, said a health researcher on Wednesday.
WHILE ANNOUNCING THE UNITE FOR DIABETES 2008 BY THE IBN BATTUTA MALL, DR PREM JAGYASI, CHARTERED MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, HEALTHCARE, QUOTING FIGURES FROM INTERNATIONAL DIABETES FEDERATION, SAID THAT DH3,643 ($993) WERE SPENT ON TREATING A SINGLE PERSON FOR DIABETES-RELATED DISEASES IN THE SAME YEAR.
Dr Jagyasi also presented the Unite for Diabetes 2007 report suggesting that 62 per cent people in the UAE were above normal weight (with BMI over 25), while almost 75 per cent of UAE nationals were overweight.
The survey included 7,000 random check-ups for both UAE residents and visitors (male and female).
“The figures are alarming since being overweight or obese seriously increases an individual’s risk of developing other health problems including Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and cancer,” he explained.
He also said that preventive measures were urgently required to curb the increasing expenditure on managing the disease.
In the UAE, diabetes prevalence stands at 19.5 per cent of the population — the second highest in the world.
“Economic progress in developing countries heralds changes in lifestyle. People migrate to the cities, where urban planning stifles opportunities for everyday activity and where fresh foods are scarcer and more expensive. As a result, people tend to eat more fat and sugar and less fresh fruit and vegetables. All of this is conspiring against sustainable health,” he said in his report.
Meanwhile, with an aim of setting a world record to form the largest diabetes circle of life, the Ibn Battutta Mall launched the Unite for Diabetes 2008 campaign.
Customers will be invited to take part in forming the largest diabetes circle at the China Court on November 10 when the five-day campaign starts.
Jebel Ali Hospital will be setting up diabetes check-up booths that will be manned by medical and nutritional specialists to give expert health advice.
At a glance
Diabetes affects 246 million people worldwide and is expected to affect some 380 million by 2025
Each year another seven million people develop diabetes
Every 10 seconds a person dies of diabetes-related causes. Every 10 seconds two people develop diabetes
Seven of the 10 countries with the highest number of people living with diabetes are in the developing world
Some 70,000 children aged 14 or less develop Type 1 diabetes annually
(Statistics courtesy: Dr Suresh Menon, Specialist Physician, Jebel Ali Hospital, and International Diabetes Federation)
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