Diabetes initiative aims to cut prevalence of condition

Screening and education plan hopes to reduce prevalence from almost 20 per cent of the population now to just over 16 per cent in five years' time.

DUBAI // Screening 10,000 high-risk individuals and training 90 nurses will help reduce the prevalence of diabetes in the UAE by 2021, it is hoped.

A further 25 doctors are also being trained as part of a joint programme between the Ministry of Health and Prevention and pharmaceutical company Johnson and Johnson.

The training scheme will help provide better medical care to diabetic patients and reduce the prevalence of diabetes from 19.3 per cent to 16.28 per cent within five years, it is hoped.

The diabetes screening and education initiative will address critical areas of diabetes management such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, increasing rates of diagnosis and early detection and improved care with self-management programmes.

“The ministry has prepared the National Strategy for Fighting Diabetes 2009-2018 and, accordingly, has launched several programmes, events and initiatives, including the latest partnership with Johnson and Johnson,” said Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for the ministry’s health centres and clinics sector.