Medical experts from the Middle East and North Africa region are set to gather in Dubai on Thursday to address the growing prevalence of diabetes.
Meanwhile, about 17,000 people are expected to join Imperial College London Diabetes Centre and the National Health Insurance Company, Daman, for the nation’s leading annual walkathon on Friday.
Participants will walk the five kilometre route around Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit and experience the benefits of exercise in healthy living.
Free testing for diabetes will also be on offer to visitors at Mercato Shopping Mall, based in the Jumeirah area of Dubai, today between 12 noon and 6pm.
The health check will include blood sugar testing, blood pressure checks and a body-mass-index test, which is calculated based on a person’s height and weight and will alert medical experts to patients who are either obese or prone to obesity.
Mediclinic Middle East is also providing free health check-ups and advice to UAE residents at 10 different locations across Dubai.
“It’s staggering that so many people in the UAE suffer from this debilitating disease so unnecessarily,” said Dr Pietie Loubser, chief clinical officer at Mediclinic Middle East.
jbell@thenational.ae
