Preventative Measures and Positive Lifestyle Changes can pose as a Cost-effective Solution to Tackle Non-communicable Diseases
Dubai Science Park (DSP), a holistic science-focused business community, hosted its fourth Advance Health meeting under the theme ‘Health and Wellness for Disease Prevention’. The networking event convened stakeholders from Dubai’s healthcare community to discuss ways of reducing the occurrence of non-communicable lifestyle-related diseases in the country. The forum was organised by DSP in partnership with Open Health, a medical communication and market access agency, Synapse Medical Services, a healthcare administration company, and Connect Communications, a strategic healthcare communications agency.
Welcoming the audience, Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Managing Director of DSP and Chairing Member of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Equipment Taskforce of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030, said: “While people across the UAE are becoming increasingly health-conscious, we still have one of the largest populations that suffers from non-communicable diseases, including cancer, obesity and diabetes. From a financial perspective, investing in preventative measures is much more cost-efficient than treating those diseases, and the promotion of simple lifestyle changes can have a significant impact.
“The latest edition of our Advance Health event brings together stakeholders from the health and wellness industry to exchange insights on how we can become healthier and prevent such diseases before they develop.”
Speaking at the event, Dr Fatheya Al Awadi, Head of Endocrinology at Dubai Hospital, DHA said: “The UAE Vision 2021 emphasises the importance of preventive measures to ensure a longer and healthier life for the country’s citizens. To help achieve this goal, we need to employ an inclusive approach with a stark focus on Dubai’s at-risk population and recognise that Dubai has a largely young population with high prevalence of pre-diabetes and/or obesity. Most of this can indeed be prevented when all stakeholders come together to ensure we have a comprehensive plan for those at risk. This will empower UAE residents to make the right lifestyle choices.”
Marcus Corander, Managing Director of Connect Communications, added: “Lifestyle-related conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases have profound effects on the health and well-being of patients, and place a significant burden on healthcare resources. The Advance Health session provided some great insights on the approaches required to achieve a healthier and happier population and it’s clear that we need collaboration from all stakeholders if we are going to make a meaningful difference.”
Other speakers and panelists included Dr Sven Rohte, Chief Commercial Officer at Daman, Michael Davis, Chief Operating Officer at NMC Healthcare, Kara Watson, Events Director for Dubai Fitness Challenge at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, and Dilesh Bhimjiani, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Switch DXB.
Dubai Science Park regularly hosts leading industry events that gather industry experts to discuss topics related to science, healthcare, energy and the environment. The Advance Health series aims to promote collaboration between stakeholders in order to confer solutions to impact the regions developing healthcare sector.
The upcoming fifth edition of Advance Health will focus on Value Based Healthcare and will take place on 24 January 2019.
