The national programme for preventive medicine, Weqaya, yesterday launched the National Programmes for Heart Disease Prevention.
The campaign, under the slogan ‘Together for a beating heart’, will continue until next July 2011, aims to increase awareness and educate the public on identifying risk factors and dangers of heart diseases.
It was also launched within the Zayed Charity initiative with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health, Emirates Mobile International Humanitarian Hospital (Ilaj) and the Emirates Heart Centre.
The campaign, which is being supervised by a team of local and international doctors, will carry out a series of sustainable prevention programmes on heart diseases and its causes throughout the year. These programmes will aim to protect various segments of society that are most susceptible to such diseases.
The campaign aims to consolidate a culture of giving and voluntary work in the health sector, which is under the wise directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
It is also in line with the vision of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of the Red Crescent Authority (RCA).
Dr Mohammad Abdullah Bin Saeed, Director of Fujeirah Medical Zone, said that most cardiovascular diseases are brought about due to bad eating habits, smoking and lack of exercise and movement, in addition to high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity and diabetes. “Vascular diseases account for 22 per cent of deaths in the UAE. This alarming number calls for a collective effort to combat these diseases, and raising the public’s awareness about them,” said Saeed. Dr Adel Al Shamri, Chief Executive of the Zayed Charity initiative and Executive Director of Ilaj, said that Ilaj is cooperating with medical institutions to provide preventive, training programmes.
Source : Gulf news