81-year-old doctor in UAE who cycles 80km per week urges public to get active

Pioneering medic says taking up sport is key to a long and healthy life

• 

  Dr Essam El Shammaa cycles 40km twice a week on Al Hudayriat Island, and urges the community to take up cycling as a sport to stay fit and healthy.

• 

  Dr Essam El Shammaa, second right, with his cycling mates at Al Hudayriat Island.

• 

  Dr Essam El Shammaa is a recipient of Abu Dhabi Award - one of the emirate's most prestigious civic honours.

• 

  He has an imaging department at Abu Dhabi's Cornice Hospital named after him

• 

  Dr Essam El Shammaa with one of the first ultrasound machines in the UAE in 1978

• 

  Dr Essam El Shammaa says the best defence against many illnesses and viruses is a healthy lifestyle and good diet

An 81-year-old doctor in Abu Dhabi who cycles 40 kilometres twice a week has hailed the power of sport to maintain health.

Dr Essam El Shammaa, one of the UAE’s most decorated medical experts, said staying active greatly reduces the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes.

“When people ask me what can they do to improve their health, the answer is always sports, sports, sports,” he said.

“People say I don’t look like I am 81 years old, but I am. The reason I am so healthy is because I cycle 40km twice a week and go to the gym as well.

“If you are regularly active with sport then you won’t have to retire in your sixties, you will have the energy and drive to keep working regularly until well into your mid-seventies.”

Dr El Shammaa moved to Abu Dhabi from Britain in the 1970s and was responsible for the introduction of ultrasound technology in UAE hospitals.

Earlier this year, he was named a winner in the Abu Dhabi Awards, which celebrate the achievements of those who have dedicated their lives to helping others in the capital.

You must make time for exercise

He also dismissed the suggestion people do not always have the time to exercise.

“People say ‘Doctor, I don’t have the time’ but the truth is you need to make the time,” he said.

“If you are active and healthy by using sport to be in control of your life, then you can do much more physically when you are older.

“Doing sports or a physical activity will help your blood pressure go down and control your diabetes.”

The imaging department at Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi was named after Dr El Shammaa in honour of his sterling contribution to the health sector.

He is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of medical imaging, and in April he was presented with the Abu Dhabi Award by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

“Dr El Shammaa is admired for sharing his vast medical experience with his healthcare colleagues and serving as a valued source of knowledge in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology,” the judging panel said at the time.

Lessons from pandemic

Dr El Shammaa had some strong views about the Covid-19 pandemic.

He urged caution when it came to the relaxing of the regulations enforced to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are all suffering because we are used to a different way of life,” he said.

“Children have been hit particularly hard. They are not communicating physically with each other as many are isolated and learning remotely.

“We have to take a serious look at what lessons we have learnt and how to take them on board.”

Dr El Shammaa praised the UAE for its handling of the pandemic, especially in comparison with that of other nations.

“We dealt with it in a miraculous way. The vaccination rate is very high and the death rate is low,” he said.

“We should not kid ourselves, though. Our lives have changed and it is something that’s going to be with us for another three or four years, at least.”

Dr El Shammaa also criticised the UK government’s decision to remove Covid-19 restrictions later this month.

“I understand why they took this step because you should not forget about the economy,” he said. “But as a physician I must be cautious. You have to balance looking after the economy with the measurements to keep people safe.

“I couldn’t believe what I was watching on television at Wimbledon for the tennis. There was no social distancing or people wearing masks in the stands. It will be interesting to see if there is an increase in cases or not as a result.”