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Discount packages to attract diabetics to treatment

DUBAI - Health authorities are luring diabetic patients with health packages to encourage them to stay in touch with their doctors after initiating treatment.

While treatment remains free for UAE nationals, expatriates are being offered 30 per cent off on follow up service and care packages that include four visits to the doctor, free consultations, two visits to the dentist and an eye care specialist as well as a meeting with a health educator, said officials during the launch of the 2011 diabetes awareness campaign.

A diabetic patient on a single medication spends a minimum of Dh1,500 for treatment per month.

Inaugurated by Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority on Tuesday, the three-year campaign has entered its final phase and urges all levels of society to take proactive action to prevent the further spiralling of the condition. The aim of the campaign is to reduce the prevalence of diabetes in the UAE, which is estimated to have affected 18.6 per cent of the population. Another 18.7 per cent of the population is estimated to be pre-diabetic.

“Screening programmes are vital for early intervention of the condition and can prevent further deterioration or onset of this disease,” said Al Murooshid.

DHA’s 2009 results reveal that of 3,612 people screened, 54 per cent was pre-diabetic, 12 per cent was diabetic and aware of the condition, two per cent was diabetic but unaware of the condition and the remaining 32 per cent had normal sugar levels.

In 2010, Sanofi-aventis Gulf joined the DHA in this initiative and more than 65,000 people, including 9,534 students were tested.

Mass screenings were conducted for over 2,640 people, using a state-of-the-art non-invasive device.

“This year, the screenings will take place using testing devices which indicate the three month average blood sugar of a person within four minutes. Normally, this test is processed in the laboratory and takes two to three days to get the result,” said Dr Ahmed bin Kalban, CEO of Primary Healthcare at the DHA.

“The packages are available at all primary healthcare centres across Dubai,” said Dr Mohamed Farghaly, Head of Acute and Chronic care, Primary Health Care Sector at the DHA. However, the cost of the package is yet to be determined.

He also highlighted that early detection of pre-diabetes can actually help prevent the disease from developing through lifestyle modifications.

“Screening programmes help diagnose people who are pre-diabetic and major global studies have indicated that if a pre-diabetic person exercises for 150 minutes a week and loses seven to 10 per cent of his body weight, he or she increases his chances of not developing diabetes by 58 per cent.

Therefore, we emphasise that timely and early intervention is the key to tackle this disease.”Screening will be conducted in 16 new locations.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com