'No greater job than serving people'

Top Stories

No greater job than serving people
RAK HOSPITAL PLAYS GOOD SAMARITAN ... Offers free diabetes screening for 30,000 UAE residents this year. - Supplied photo

Ras Al Khaimah - RAK Diabetes Centre (Al Wasal Road), a branch of RAK Hospital, is organising a first-of-its-kind venture that aims to create a healthier UAE through education and preventive measures.

By Saman Haziq

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Thu 14 Apr 2016, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Thu 14 Apr 2016, 12:10 PM

Free tests for: BMI, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, body composition analysis, HBA1C test to measure the body's blood sugar level over a period of weeks/months.
Free consultation with RAK clinical dietician and diabetes educator.
Where: Dubai: RAK Diabetes Centre (Al Wasal Road); Northern emirates: RAK Diabetes Centre at RAK Hospital
An essential component for happiness is health. And health screening, along with a good diet and exercise, is necessary for good health and a higher quality of life. With more than 20 per cent of the Arab population being diabetic, it has become one of the main concerns of the region.
Echoing the concern, RAK Diabetes Centre (Al Wasal Road), a branch of RAK Hospital, is doing its bit by organising a first-of-its-kind venture that aims to create a healthier UAE through education and preventive measures.
In line with the World Health Organisation's 2016 theme, 'Beat Diabetes', the centre has launched a massive complimentary screening programme open to all associations and companies in Dubai and in the Northern Emirates.
In the first-of-its-kind awareness and prevention campaign in the UAE, the centre aims to partner with a number of organisations to provide a holistic and comprehensive diabetes screening to at least 30,000 UAE residents this year. The initiative that will run until April 2017, will also include free culinary classes for employees of various organisations by celebrity chef Andy Campbell with focus on healthy, nutritious and low caloric foods that will help defeat the disease.
Usually health screening covering the aforementioned tests, if you get it done outside, would cost you around Dh500-600 but at RAK Hospital is offering it to you for free, said Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO of Arabian Healthcare Group - the parent company for RAK Diabetes Centre.
"Globally, roughly 422 million people live with diabetes and in the UAE around 19.3 per cent of UAE residents are affected by it. However, there is still a large number of people who are either on the verge of getting diabetes or already have it, but are unaware. This extensive campaign will be reaching out to that particular segment as well as well thousands of other people who need to understand the severity of the disease and the lifelong impact it can have on their lifestyle.
There is no greater service than making people aware about the problems which they would otherwise not know about, said Dr Siddiqui.
"Logistically speaking, pushing the initiative via organisations is the most practical route, since we can now reach out to a much bigger number of people. We would like the organisations to play an active role in this regard, since healthier employees would mean better productivity at work, fewer sick leaves and a high morale in general.
"RAK Diabetes Centre has invested millions in this initiative with the sole purpose of creating a diabetes-controlled UAE, and in effect a healthier environment for both adults and children. Our aim is to help control a disease that is not only the root of several other ailments but eventually a severe burden on the health budget of any country. We are aiming to continue the campaign until next April, but depending on the outcome we hope to take it forward another year," added Dr Siddiqui said.
Complications from diabetes are known to be a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation. Poor dietary choices, an inactive lifestyle and heredity are few of the top reasons behind the rise in the disease that shows few signs of abating.
saman@khaleejtimes.com


More news from