The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani inaugurated a world-class treatment centre that will provide Qatar’s diabetic population with improved patient care at the Hamad General Hospital on Wednesday. “The family-centred facility offers diabetes treatment through an interdisciplinary team approach,” said Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, managing director of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The diabetes centre is located on the second floor of the outpatient department. “This is the first in a chain of diabetic care centres across HMC hospitals that will serve as one-stop facilities in which patients can speak with specialist doctors and nutrition experts, renew prescriptions and learn about how to manage their condition.” added al-Kuwari. The centre will serve as a model for a multi-disciplinary approach to caring for diabetics and is an example of HMC’s focus on integrating education and research with clinical care. The centre includes morning and early evening clinics, foot care, counselling and education, blood investigation and insulin pump therapy. Approximately 20,000 patient visits are expected at the facility this year. “The new diabetes centre will serve as a model for the effective care of complicated cases,” said Prof Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, chair, Department of Internal Medicine. “By creating seamless access to services and specialists and supporting targeted clinical research, the diabetes centre will improve patient outcomes and play an important role in caring for the children and adults of Qatar who are living with diabetes,” said Abou-Samra. The number of diabetics in Qatar will double by 2030 and the need to create awareness about the illness to prevent it is very important, say experts. It is estimated that about 16 percent of the Qatari population between 20 and 79 years have diabetes. Working to raise awareness about diabetes, with focus on increasing public knowledge and understanding of the risk factors involved, ‘Action on Diabetes’ aims to encourage the community to make real lifestyle changes that make a difference to those who have diabetes and help prevent those at risk from developing it in the future. The Head of Endorcinology at Hamad Medical Corporation, Dr Mahmoud Zirie, said: “The campaign highlighted that the number of people in Qatar who are unaware of their diabetic condition or pre-diabetic is rather high. “By 2030, it is estimated that the number of diabetics will almost double. Doha 25th July 2013 : About 11% of Qatar’s population is considered to be pre-diabetic. Also, approximately 10% of pregnant women in Qatar have diabetes. But it is estimated that as many as a third of diabetics are not aware of their disease. “The diabetes centre is part of Hamad General Hospital’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that our patients get the care they need, when they need it. It is a tangible example of our approach to a more collaborative relationship between clinicians and patients,” said Daniel, chief executive officer of Hamad General Hospital With recent statistics suggesting that over 70% of the population is overweight, raising community awareness of healthy lifestyle practices is a vital strategy for reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Qatar. In the coming months HMC will launch an awareness campaign designed to increase public understanding of diabetes.The campaign will highlight strategies to manage and prevent lifestyle-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. Source:Qatar Chronicle

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