Dubai Health Authority's smart clinic discusses prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases.

• 65 per cent of mortalities in the UAE are due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
• Youth affected by these diseases, these diseases not limited to the ageing population.
• Lifestyle changes and regular screening urgent need of the hour to tackle the prevalence of NCDs.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, October 21, 2015: The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) held today a smart clinic from its stand at GITEX 2015.

The smart clinic discussed the importance of prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.

Non-communicable diseases include diabetes, cancer, stroke, mental health disorders, heart and chronic respiratory diseases.

Information was disseminated through the Authority’s Twitter page (DHA_Dubai), Instagram account and Periscope.

Dr Hanan Obaid, head of acute and chronic diseases unit at the DHA’s primary healthcare centre, said: “Sixty-five per cent of mortalities in the UAE are due to non-communicable diseases ( NCDs).  Globally, while communicable diseases are getting under control, there is a rise in cases of diabetes, hypertension, etc. These diseases are no longer problems of ageing; in fact they are affecting the youth.”

Sedentary lifestyles, smoking, drinking, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise are factors that trigger the onset of NCDs.

Obaid said: “To a large extent, NCDs are majorly preventable and can be countered through healthy lifestyle. Yet, we find that people are either unaware of their risk factors or no not take them seriously until they actually develop the disease.”

To combat this, the DHA conducts health awareness campaigns all through the year, promotes and provides packages for health screening at its primary healthcare centres(PHCs) and has started specialised clinics in DHA PHC’s to provide high standards of care for  patients with these diseases.

Obaid said: “We have adopted a multi-disciplinary strategy that includes health education and community outreach, screening and specialised care at primary healthcare centres.”

She said that DHA primary healthcare centres offer several screening packages and they have specialised clinics such as all PHC’s have diabetes clinics; several of them have hypertension clinics and tobacco cessation clinic.

From the 25th of October, DHA will start a tobacco cessation clinic in Al Badaa health centre. This clinic is already available in Al Barsha and Al Twar health centres.

Other DHA specialists that took part in the smart clinic included Ali Al Rahma, Health Educator at DHA and Afra Bin Katta, specialist clinical dietician in DHA.