Dubai has won the bid to host the International Diabetes Federation’s 21st World Diabetes Congress that will take place in December 2011.
The prestigious congress is a platform where the global healthcare community and diabetes stakeholders join hands to tackle the pandemic which has now become a global healthcare burden.
His Excellency Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority represented the Emirate of Dubai at the 20th World Diabetes Congress which took place in Montreal, Canada from the 18th to the 22nd of October.
His Excellency Al Murooshid said, “We are proud to host this congress in Dubai. I assure you that Dubai will provide all its support to battle this disease both in terms of building medical facilities and conducting awareness initiatives to tackle this pandemic.
“We recognize the urgency in dealing with diabetes and are aware that the fight against diabetes requires a multi-disciplinary approach and involves prevention, education and lifestyle management. It is a disease that can be combated effectively only when the global community joins hands and we are proud to host this congress in Dubai because it provides a platform where international experts can share state-of-the-art knowledge to combat this condition.”
His Excellency Al Murooshid said that over the past few years healthcare in Dubai has seen a tremendous growth and this has been possible because of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Rule of Dubai who has given significant important to the health sector in the Dubai strategic plan 2015.
His Excellency Al Murooshid said that Dubai is aware of the positive impact that the World Diabetes Congress has in initiating global initiatives to combat the disease. In 2006, the ‘Unite for Diabetes’ global initiative was a result of the World Diabetes Congress in 2006 that took place in South Africa.
The congress has been instrumental in channelizing and brining together healthcare professionals from around the world to work together to tackle the disease.
His Excellency said that the DHA is aware of the importance of hosting such conferences and over the years Dubai has become a hub for international conferences due to its outlook, world-class infrastructure and strategic location in the Middle East and North Africa( MENA) region.
His Excellency Al Murooshid highlighted that this conference in particular is crucial to creating awareness about a disease which has now reached pandemic proportions globally. “Diabetes, is a serious disease that has many health complications and therefore frontline treatment is required to manage this disease. The number of diabetics and pre-diabetes in this region and globally reflect the magnitude of the problem.
“The opening of the Harvard-Affiliated Joslin Diabetes Center in Dubai, marks its presence in the gulf region, and will provide frontline treatment and training to combat diabetes. While this is a significant step we are aware we have a long way to go to tackle this global pandemic and we are prepared to pledge our support in the fight against diabetes.”
Other delegates from the DHA that were present at the conference were Dr Abdulrazzak Ali Almadani, CEO of Dubai Hospital, Ms. Heba Al Shaar, Director of Institutional Marketing and Communications at DHA, Dr Mohammed Fargali, Head of chronic care unit, Primary healthcare, DHA, Dr Fatiyah Al Awadhi, Dr Ghaida Mohamad Kaddaha and Dr Ahmed Hassoun