PAPYRUS

Don’t ‘dump’ documents

2011-05-27T15:45:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

24 May 2011, The Gulf Today

SHARJAH: Improper document disposal increases incidents of confidential data and identity theft, pointed out Sharjah’s semi-government environment and waste management authority Bee’ah.

Several types of confidential information are highly vulnerable to abuse by criminals if simply thrown into dustbins, a senior Beea’h official warned on Monday.
Walid Zabaneh, vice president of Business Development and Strategy at Bee’ah, told The Gulf Today that a number of security breaches can be traced back to mishandled, lost or stolen documents.
“UAE authorities are stepping up measures to tackle circumstances leading to information theft including dumpster diving, cheque scams and false identity cases,” added Khalid Al Huraimel, CEO, Bee’ah.
“In some cases, information theft may potentially jeopardise national security and turn out as a contributor to massive financial losses for companies and individuals.”
He advised that all kinds of debris, especially confidential documents and electronic information, should be discarded responsibly and, and if possible in an environmentally friendly way.
The Bee’ah recently linked up with the Sharjah Immigration Department to crack down on waste scavengers in the Emirate in a joint initiative to curb issues related to insecurity of personal information.
“Information including financial data, figures, company records, facts, private statistics and information about clients or projects have to be protectively disposed after use, or you will have to face severe consequences,” pointed out Zabaneh.
“However, no specific local figures are available for public on the increase in identity theft or breach of information security laws, linked to the unsafe disposal of documents.”
Speaking about Bee’ah’s confidential document destruction and recycling project aimed at protecting businesses, Zabaneh stated that determining the link between data breaches and identity theft is challenging, primarily because identity theft victims often do not know how their personal information was obtained.
“In several cases the reason for the data breach and eventual identity theft can be the stack of potentially confidential data disposed with regular trash by the office staff or the tiny credit card receipt, thrown casually in the trash after a shopping trip,” he elaborated.
“The implications of improper destruction of crucial data are the cause of huge losses to businesses and individuals alike,” Zabaneh added.
Introducing its confidential document destruction and recycling service as a safe, secure and environmentally responsible procedure, Bee’ah urges businesses in the UAE to employ properly document disposal procedures to reduce incidents of data theft and security breach.
Zabaneh said, “Waste-scavengers intentionally explore sites, where waste of their target companies are being dumped, in hopes of uncovering important information and selling them to wrong people.”
According to him, business entities should implement a ‘shred-all’ policy for all unwanted documents, on a regular basis, to avoid risks. “Special locked consoles have to be provided to deposit confidential documents, instead of recycling bins.”
“Bee’ah also has a mobile shredding unit with trained operatives to destroy documents on-site. All shredded material is then recycled and on completion a certificate is issued confirming the secure destruction and recycling of documents,” Zabaneh
“Since the launch of the service in 2009, Bee’ah has securely managed to destroy and recycle over 1,000 tonnes of paper which is equivalent to saving 17,000 trees,” he concluded.

15 medical facilities shut, 15 doctors suspended in 2010 for violations

2011-05-27T15:38:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

24 May 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: About 15 medical establishments have been shut down in the UAE in 2010 by the Ministry of Health (MoH) as these facilities violated the regulations and bylaws, revealed a senior health official on Monday.
“Four of the medical establishments were closed permanently, while 11 of them face temporary closure,” said Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licensing and head of the Medical Licensing Committee at the MoH.
“About 15 doctors were suspended from practice due to cases of medical malpractice last year, and another seven doctors have been issued warning. Meanwhile, eight doctors were temporarily suspended from practice as a precautionary measure for medical negligence or malpractice based on complaints lodged by patients,” he elaborated.
“The ministry blacklisted seven other doctors due to their severe violations of the professional ethics or scientific and technical standards. Warnings were issued against 11 medical establishments after inspections carried out by officials at the medical licensing department,” he added.
According to Dr Amiri, a penalty in the form of a written warning has been issued against another medical establishment.
“The violating doctors were suspended either because of their medical negligence or for disbursing medical sick leaves for patients without checking their right to receive such leaves,” he pointed out.
The [penalties] issued to the medical facilities were based on inspections and decision of the medical licensing committee as they were proved to be violating the set of standards or regulations, said Dr Salem Al Darmaki, acting undersecretary of the MoH.
“A total of 1,140 medical facilities are operating under the supervision of the heath ministry, while about 2,305 doctors have obtained license from the federal authority to practice medical profession in the Emirates,” he added.
Statistics of the MoH’s medical licensing department indicates the significant increase in the number of medical establishments and doctors in 2010, and there is an increasing traffic for more registrations for medical practice and healthcare sector operation.
“The medical licensing department regularly follows up about 1,140 medical establishments and doctors working there to keep ensuring their adherence to the best international health standards, and the country’s regulations,” he added.
“About 163 new establishments have been licensed in 2010, while 70 facilities have been approved since the beginning of the current year,” noted Al Darmaki.
“The approved medical establishments in the private sector include 435 medical centres, 275 rehabilitation centres, 104 public clinics, 94 school health clinics, 92 specialised clinics, 73 public dental clinics, 25 hospitals, 25 diagnosis centres and 19 specialised dental clinics,” he elaborated.
Dr Al Amiri said that about 2,305 doctors have received MoH licenses, out of which 354 have been given in 2010 and 151 since the beginning of 2011.

“About 781 technicians were also licensed by the MoH last year, while the number of licensed technicians in 2011 until the date is 359. There are a total of 2,621 technicians that have been provided licences by the health ministry,” he added.

Sri Lanka to reduce supply of housemaids to Gulf

2011-05-27T14:58:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 16 May 2011

Dubai: The Sri Lanka authorities are currently outlining strategies to slowly reduce the number of housemaids dispatched from the island to work in the UAE and other Gulf countries, reveals a top government representative visiting the Emirates to explore opportunities in skilled and semi-skilled Lankan labour supply.

Dilan Perera, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare of Sri Lanka, said that the authorities are unofficially discouraging the citizens to take up housemaid jobs abroad, as the country gradually trains the people for skilled and dignified professional opportunities.

“The title and job description of the domestic workers also have to be upgraded from ‘housemaid’ to ‘housekeeper’ in accordance with training them scientifically. There’s also a long-term term plan for demanding compulsory minimum wage system for the migrant Lankan workforce abroad,” the minister indicated.

“Supplying domestic workers to the foreign job market by ensuring their security and rights as well as welfare and rehabilitation while they return to the island has been raising constant issues which are unresolved often,” Perera pointed out.

Speaking on the sidelines of Sri Lanka Employment Promotion Seminar staged in Dubai on Sunday, the minister noted that Sri Lanka wants to offer more skilled and quality manpower to the UAE and other foreign job markets.

“An innovative mechanism is currently being developed in Sri Lanka to implement job-specific, country-specific and company-specific training programmes for the citizens, who seek foreign opportunities,” he said.

“We are looking at possibilities of backward integration, in building education institutions, in collaboration with Dubai entrepreneurs by offering opportunities to invest in those institutions, which are devoted to producing certified semi-skilled and skilled personnel for the entire specialised Middle East job market,” elaborated Perera.

According to him, Sri Lanka is next to China in the Asian Human Resources Index. It has been building quality human resources and supplying to the other parts of the world for years.

“We are implementing resolving the problems of our migrant manpower and improve their welfare system, by introducing education scholarship to the children of Gulf returnees. Work-related complaints such as employee or agent harassment, physical abuse, health challenges and issues of absconding maids have significantly come down at the Lankan missions in the UAE.”

“Meanwhile, Lankan workers’ complaints are 10 times higher in other Gulf countries. There are only 35 to 40 complaints are registered on an average in the UAE, while some 30 to 40 cases are recorded regarding the absconding housemaids,” Perera said.

Speaking at the seminar, Sarath Wijesinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka in the UAE, announced an education project for the working Sri Lankans in the UAE.

“The UAE’s Sri Lankan employees with a minimum of managerial experience are offered a global standard two-year long management education programme through a cost-effective distance learning scheme from Open University of Sri Lanka, under the direct supervision of the mission,” he said.

“The two study centres will be opened one each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where more professional courses will be introduced later in affiliation with the Open University of UK,” he added.

MM Abdul Raheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai and Northern Emirates, said, “Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 95 per cent, one of the highest in the South Asia. The workforce is easily trainable and could cater to the global demand.”

"The UAE is home to about 2,50,000 migrant Sri Lankan workers, out of which 190,000 expatriates are employed in Dubai and Northern Emirates. A significant majority of them are engaged in domestic helpers in the UAE,” he added.

“The number of Sri Lankan skilled labourers already employed in various sectors in the UAE is clear evidence that Sri Lanka could supply to the need of the international standards,” noted Raheem.

Municipality conducts health tests on 71,609 animals this year

2011-05-27T14:44:00.003+04:00

BY PMA RASHEED
13 May 2011, The Gulf Today

A record number of animal disease prevention procedures have been conducted in Dubai, with 71,609 animals at various farmhouses and municipal veterinary clinics received treatment and vaccination during the first quarter of the current year.

The animal health protective measures have been carried out aimed at ensuring higher level of safety of livestock protecting them from a range of serious seasonal risks eventually derailing the food security in the emirate, revealed Dubai Municipality (DM).
The Municipality has staged a range of programmes and initiatives to ensure that the animal handlers or traders are adhering to the civic regulations and requirements on animal sheltering.
The civic authority also intensified its inspection procedures on cattle feed shipments and veterinary supplies imported through the emirate's ports during this period, aimed at reducing the number of common animal diseases.
Meanwhile, the number of animal feed shipments imported to the emirate has increased this year compared to the first quarter of the last year, as more companies entered into the market in the wake of the increasing demands for animal feed, a spokesperson of the DM said.
According to him, there has been a significant decrease in the number of animal care law violations compared to the first quarter of last year. "The civic veterinary laboratories conducted about 7,477 tests. Also, about 877 random inspections were carried out in different areas of the emirate."
"Surveys on mycotoxins in cow milk were carried out, taking samples from farms for bacterial tests. The Municipality also monitored different tools used for dairy operations to ensure safety and protect public health," the DM official pointed out.
He elaborated that approximately 1919 cases of stray animals like cats and dogs were reported during this period. "About 42,820 animals were examined before slaughtering at Dubai Abattoirs, while a number of animals were rejected prior to the slaughtering as they were unfit for human consumption."
A significant increase has been recorded in the awareness of workers in livestock farms and dairy sites, the DM spokesperson concluded.

(Pic: Supplied)

‘Immediate action on emergency medicine requirement’

2011-05-27T14:08:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 10 May 2011

Dubai: All medical districts in the UAE will be provided with effective mechanism to solve problems of insufficient medicines and other issues on shortage of resources, assures health minister Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim.

Speaking at a meeting with directors of medical districts on Monday, he said that the entire residents in the country will be able to avail the best healthcare services and enjoy global standard medical practices in various specialisations.

“More programmes are in pipeline to encourage Emiratis to work in the healthcare sector, with more continuous medical education (CME) and international training sessions for nursing and midwifery professionals to meet the serious shortage of nationals in these health professions. The MoH recently recruited 35 UAE national nurses in various hospitals,” he explained.

“The entire health facilities in the seven Emirates will be provided with sufficient quantity of medicines, medical and lab equipment. Each medical district has to submit a specific plan for its actual requirement of medicines and equipment, in order to ensure the availability of medicines in these stores,” he added.

“The mechanism will specify the quantities of available medicines in the MoH warehouses as well as at hospitals and health centres, to guarantee availability of medicines, especially for chronic diseases,” elaborated Dr Hassan.

According to him, all practices related to import, purchase and storage of medicines will be regulated. “The new mechanism will monitor the procurement, and disburse of the drugs through continuous supervision measures of the medical stores, pharmacies upon evaluating the medicine purchase orders.”

“Immediate actions will be taken on purchase orders, to meet emergency requirement of medicines. The central stores will send official circulars to the stores, pharmacies and centres in the medical districts to specify a certain timeline for receiving and ensuring the safety and non-manipulation of the medicines,” the minister concluded.

Dubai clinics require special license for immunisation

2011-05-27T13:53:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 9 May 2011

DUBAI: Private clinics providing vaccination services in Dubai will now have to obtain a new licence as Vaccine Qualified Clinics (VQCs) from Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
The authority on Sunday has announced its new immunisation policy with comprehensive guidelines to standardise immunisation services at the emirate’s hospitals and clinics, which will be connected to a unified immunisation reporting and recording mechanism.
According to the policy, all healthcare facilities in the emirate will require to fulfill specific requirements if they want to continue providing childhood immunisation services.
A senior health official indicated that parents could now make sure that their children are receiving potent and safe vaccines through the VQCs system. The DHA’s health regulation department will monitor functions at the VQC licensed centres to ensure safe practice and compliance to the new system.
Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of the DHA, said that it’s all about assuring global standards of safety and efficiency and better access for Dubai residents to various immunisation services, with special emphasis on child immunisation programmes.
“Once the new policy is in practice and both the private and the government sectors have been put into the unified system, Dubai can benchmark itself internationally in terms of immunisation services,” he added.
“The immunisation services presently provided by private and government health facilities in Dubai, are inadequately coordinated, even though vaccinations protect the community from several life-threatening diseases,” pointed out Al Murooshid.
All immunisation services in Dubai will be streamlined with the implementation of the policy to improve quality of the services, said Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Department at the DHA.
“The unified immunisation policy will cover all hospitals and health clinics in the private, government and free zone segments of the emirate. The authority will monitor the process of administering vaccines at all the licensed facilities,” she added.
Dr Ali Ali Marzooqi, Director of Public Health and Safety at the DHA, said that the system will provide technical guidance to healthcare providers to ensure they follow best practices, in terms of administering and storing vaccines.
“However, meeting the new licence criteria will not be a difficult task for the healthcare facilities, as a majority of them are already fulfilling their licensing conditions to provide these services,” he noted.

'Cardiac disease No.1 killer of women in the world'

2011-05-27T13:49:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED The Gulf Today, 6 May 2011

Dubai: A quarter of all deaths in the UAE are caused by cardiovascular diseases (CVD), while globally 35 per cent of women are living with various cardiac disorders, according to a specialist cardiologist in Dubai.
Cardiovascular disease is still considered to be a man's disease, but it causes the death of almost the same number of women too.
Dr Nooshin Bazargani, Specialist Cardiologist at Dubai Hospital and Head of Emirates Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Group (ECDPG), revealed that out of the 17.5 million deaths from cardiovascular disease each year globally, over 8.6 million are women.
"It's more than the total number of women, who die from all cancers, tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS and malaria combined. The CVD is the number one killer of women in the world," she added.
Dr Bazargani was speaking at the second edition of "Go Red for Women" campaign, a global initiative to raise awareness about the risk of CVD among women, organised on Thursday at Deira City Centre in tandem with Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
According to her, most of these cardiovascular deaths could be avoided through awareness on effective change in life. "Their attitude should be modified towards adopting preventive measures on the major risks such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol level, unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle."
Dr Fahad Omar Ahmed S Baslaib, Head of Cardiology at Rashid Hospital and President of Emirates Cardiac Society, indicated that the risk factors for women are largely similar to men, including family history of the CVD, smoking, stress and other major reasons.
"However, some factors play a greater role in women than men. About 22 per cent of the UAE population dies due to cardiac problems. Half of them are women, who are either under-diagnosed or under-treated," he pointed out.
Dr Laila Al Jassmi, CEO of Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA , said that lifestyle diseases can be prevented by following a balanced diet and healthy exercise patterns. "The number of women with the CVD highlights the magnitude of this problem."
Dr Arif Abdullatif Al Mulla, Head of Cardiology at Dubai Hospital, said: "Diabetic women suffer from the risk of chronic heart disease eight times more than non-diabetic women. In diabetic men, the risk is of cardiac disorders is only three times more than non-diabetic men."
"In women, the combination of oral contraception and consumption of up to 15 cigarettes per day is associated with a three to five fold increase in coronary risk, for women who smoke more than 15 cigarettes per day, the risk increases by twenty fold," he added.
"The post-menopausal state uniquely augments the risks of the CVD for women. Depression also increases the risk of the heart attack in women at 70 per cent. As twice as many women as men are depressed, this becomes a major risk factor for the sex," elaborated Dr Al Mulla.
The Gulf Race 1 gender analysis study, which was conducted in 2009 across six Gulf States to compare men and women who are admitted to the hospital with heart attacks, showed that cardiac diseases among locals and expatriates in these countries are equal. Whereas, 80 per cent of heart attack cases among women were of citizens and expatriate women- 20 per cent.

Dr Bazargani noted the study had indicated that the outcome of the heart attack is more eventful in women than in men.
"This means women with heart attacks have more complications as compared to male patients. Women are more at higher risks of bleeding, heart failure (weakness of the muscle of the heart) and are more at a risk of death," she concluded.

‘Disease hasn’t spoilt my life’

2011-05-27T13:32:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 27 May 2011

DUBAI: The future of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients has become more promising, as right attitude and proper medication can help in leading an active and happy life, said MS sufferers and specialists in the country.

Patient networking forums and care groups have boosted support for patients with the disease in the Emirates by educating them and helping them avail best treatment options.
In celebration of World MS Day, two support groups in Dubai organised such awareness initiatives that were focused on enhancing possibilities for MS patients.
MS is one of the world’s most common and complex diseases, which disables nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
The auto-immune disease affects the central nervous system by impairing myelin, the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers. When the myelin gets damaged, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord fail to communicate with each other, resulting in derailing the connection between the brain’s messaging system and other parts of the body.
On Thursday, more than 30 MS sufferers congregated, along with friends and family members, at Wafi City Mall in Dubai to observe World MS Day. The programme was organised by the UAE MS Platform, bringing together MS sufferers in the country.
(During the event), the UAE MS Platform launched an interactive online forum, titled UniteMS.net, aimed at encouraging MS patients to register with this website and share their difficulties to seek instructions to conquer the complications. The UniteMS.net forum will help UAE patients get connected with the global platform of MS patients, said the organisers.
Meanwhile, earlier in the week, ‘Taking life to new heights’ was the theme raised by the UAE MS Support Group, which organised an indoor skydiving programme for its five members at iFly in Mirdif City Centre.

The patients took part in the skydiving experience, flying high in the art wind tunnel, to show that chronic disease sufferers can still live life to the fullest if they adopt a positive attitude and their disease is controlled with the correct medications.
MS affects patients’ behaviour from walking and talking to eating and even feeling pain and other sensations. Patients suffer from a range of difficulties including motor impairment, balance problems, visual, sensory and cognitive (memory) issues.
Dr DM Kayed, specialist neurologist at Open MRI for Spine Surgery Centre in Dubai, explained that MS sufferers can experience a variety of symptoms as the condition develops.
“Such patients can experience attacks that may be present with blurred vision, sensory disturbance affecting the face body or limbs, lack of coordination and imbalance, weakness as well as memory and concentration difficulties,” he added.
“Injection therapy for MS reduces the frequency of attacks and thus may slow disease progression and help control symptoms. New oral treatments have recently become available; however, clinical experience with these agents remains limited,” pointed out Dr Kayed.
UAE MS support group member Dr Budoor Al Shehhi, pointed out, that these patients, however, can continue to take life to new heights despite their illness.
“The patients’ celebration [at iFly] was about having the right attitude and the right treatment that will allow them better manage their condition gaining the capability to work, play, and even fly,” she added.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Morsi, area therapeutic manager at Merck Serono Middle East, organiser of the MS Platform meet at Wafi Mall, said the objectives of the forum is to identify the patients in the UAE in order to help them enjoy an active and normal life, despite suffering from the chronic disease.
Sultan Al Nuaimi, a MS sufferer and active member of UAE MS Platform, said, “The UniteMS.net is a social network on which MS patients across the world log in and interact with fellow patients, doctors, specialists, researchers and support groups.”
“The Middle East MS Platform was launched in the UAE last year to streamline care activities and research programs throughout the region. The forum, an affiliation of several independent MS organisations, key opinion leaders, healthcare groups and commercial corporations, will move us patients closer to a world free of MS,” he added.
Sultan, aged 23 years, has been suffering from MS symptoms like poor vision, tremors and fatigue for the past three years.
“MS patients can make their life shining and vibrant with proper medication and changes in lifestyle, along with indulging in entertainment and social activities. I have never felt that the disease is spoiling my life,” he elaborated confidently, discussing his survival saga.
Another member of the UAE MS Platform Sahar Rahma agreed, saying that the secrets of survival for her, too, are a positive approach towards life, proper course of medication and a healthy lifestyle.
“I gained more strength and confidence by communicating with other patients, and joined on the networking platform to share our worries as well as joyous moments. Since I started the medication, the difficulties of the MS in my body have significantly reduced,” she added.
Rami, member of the MS Support group who took part in the iFly experience, was diagnosed with MS last year at the age of 32; however, he has not let his illness prevent him from living a normal life, even continuing to travel across the region for work.
“Initially when I was diagnosed I was very much in denial. I would tell myself that even though I was diagnosed with MS it would not affect my life at all and nothing would happen to me,” he added.

Global statistics show that MS affects approximately 2.5 million people worldwide. Around 25 to 50 people per 100,000 in Arabic populations and about 100 per 100,000 in Northern Europeans also suffer from the disease. MS affects women more than men, and often the symptoms appear between the ages of 20 and 40.

(Pix: Supplied)

New by-laws for expat medical tests on anvil

2011-05-04T19:19:00.000+04:00

BY PMA RASHEED

4 May 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: About 21 per cent of the total Asian job-seekers who underwent medical examinations before obtaining their UAE residence visa in 2009 had tuberculosis, the Ministry of Health (MoH) revealed on Tuesday.

This serious situation prompted the UAE authorities to think about implementing strong regulations in regard to the medical examination procedures for foreign workforce entering the country, says a senior health official.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the MoH, indicated that the ministry, in the process of implementing the recent decision of Ministerial Service Council, is currently preparing new by-laws for the residency medical examination of expatriates who should get their medical check-ups done in their countries of origin before arrival in the UAE.

“The new regulation on getting medical fitness certificate for all new expatriates aims to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and reduce the financial burden of managing expatriates affected by contagious diseases,” he added.

“The current mechanism for expatriate medical tests in the UAE has been efficient for more than 30 years to manage low rates of infectious diseases in the country, as the system insists on expats repeating the medical tests at the time of every residency visa renewal,” Dr Fikri noted.

“But it was noticed later that the rate of infectious diseases increased among certain categories of labourers coming from some countries where communicable diseases are endemic,” he pointed out.

“The national committee for expatriate medical tests reviewed the check-up mechanism and reported to the higher authorities to implement necessary precaution procedures to stop entry of foreign workers with contagious illnesses,” he said.

“However, all the expatriate workers will have to undergo a second round of medical tests in the UAE before obtaining their residency visa. This is to ensure that the expatriates don’t breach the law by producing fraudulent medical fitness certificates,” underscored Dr Fikri.

According to him, the committee is currently analysing the mechanism followed by the GCC Health Ministries Council to ensure the arrival of expatriate labourers without any infectious disease.

“The communicable diseases may disseminate locally, even if the affected persons stay in the country for a month before discovering their diseases while undergoing the necessary procedures. Also, some people with infectious diseases run away, further putting the public health at risk,” he elaborated.

“The MoH is currently coordinating with the health authorities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to carry out inspection visits at the visa-medical test facilities in Asian countries to ensure accuracy, safety and reliability of the examinations conducted at such centres,” said Dr Fikri.

“As cases of contagious diseases are mainly reported among the Asian workers, the UAE will also seek implementing scientific methods to transfer the tests results and other health information directly to the UAE health authorities from the workers’ home countries,” he concluded.

‘Lankan tourism booms in post-war era’

2011-05-03T14:37:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

3 May 2011, The Gulf Today

The Sri Lankan missions in the UAE aim at projecting the island as a tranquil holiday destination, in the post-LTTE era in the pearl of Indian Ocean.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai have set up their national pavilion at the region’s pioneer tourism show Arabian Travel Market 2011 being staged at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 2 to 5.

Sri Lanka has been participating at the past editions of the ATM, and this year the country pavilion has hosted 35 Sri Lankan companies.

Sarath Wijesinghe, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the UAE, said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ATM on Monday, “After eradicating the ethnic terrorism from the soil and the dawn of peace in Sri Lanka in 2009, the island has become a preferred destination in Asia and attracts a huge number of visitors from Europe, America and the Middle Eastern countries.”

“The target set by the Sri Lankan tourism authorities for the year 2010 had already exceeded and we will receive more than 800,000 tourists the current year,” he added.

“The promotion titled “Visit Sri Lanka 2011” has set up facilities for a million travelers to explore the island’s unique nature, wildlife, scintillating beaches, historical wonders, the peaceful atmosphere and the pleasant hospitality culture of the people,” noted Wijesinghe.

According to MM Abdul Raheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai, Sri Lankan tourism has been surging ahead with an increase in arrivals from several global markets, with a steady growth noted from the Middle East region.

“The first quarter of 2011 has shown an increase of 22.9 per cent in arrivals from the region. In 2010, we saw a 51.5 per cent increase from the ME with the highest arrivals from the UAE, indicating a 65 per cent growth. The second highest was from Saudi Arabia and Israel,” he pointed out.

Malraj B Kiriella, Acting Managing Director of Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau, said the target in the number of tourists for the year 2015 is 2.5 million and it’s 5 million by the year 2020.

“Infrastructure development is ongoing and with the re-introduction of the sea plane operations as well as the executive helicopter services, getting from the airport to a secluded hide-way is convenient and economical,” he elaborated.

“When it comes to the tourists from the Middle East region, the cuisine is very important aspect of serving this market. Halal certification is ensured for the products used to prepare the cuisine for our guests from the Middle East region,” he concluded.

‘Carriers of Thalassemia disease can go up to 1m in UAE’

2011-04-30T19:33:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

19 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: The number of carriers of the genetic disease thalassemia in the UAE may go up to 1 million, revealed a senior health official on Monday.

Dr Khawla Belhoul, director of the Thalassemia Centre of Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said that approximately 600,000 people in the Emirates are carriers of the disease.
According to him, the number of patients may increase with the continuous influx of people from other countries, which are at high risk of the disease.

Thalassemia is a blood disorder that reduces the number of normal blood cells in the body. If two carriers have children, the likelihood of each child developing the disease is 25 per cent.

“Thalassemic patients are hooked on to blood for survival. They need regular, lifelong transfusions of blood. For thalassemia patients, blood is the most important resource, to ensure their survival. All the members of the society should come forward to donate and help save the lives of thousands of patients,” urged Dr Belhoul.

She was speaking to the media at a five-day awareness campaign, to mark World Thalassemia Day 2011, which falls on May 8.

According to her, the number of thalassemic patients in our society speaks volumes about the prevalence of this condition and thus such initiatives are vital to educate our community and reach out to them.

“In the UAE, one in 12 people carry the gene for thalassemia. Around 40 per cent of the patients at the Dubai Thalassemia Centre are Emiratis. Another 40 per cent are expatriates from Asian and African countries, while the other 20 per cent of thalassemic patients are Arab nationals,” elaborated Dr Belhoul.

“Geographically speaking, South Middle East, Mediterranean and Asian countries are at the highest risks of the condition. The rates of prevalence of the genetic disease vary from six to 12 to even 16 per cent in the countries,” she said.

The Dubai Thalassemia Centre is the Emirate’s only dedicated facility to manage this condition by providing internationally recognised levels of care in chronic disease management for thalassemic patients.

“About 420 patients receive regular treatment and blood transfusions at the centre,” noted Dr Belhoul, “Each patient requires approximately 34 units of blood annually through an average 17 transfusions. However, additional units of blood may be required depending on the patient’s condition. We also receive extra patients who visit the centre for transfusions from time to time.”

“Education of patients, family members and the public in general, is a key part of chronic disease management and we at the centre strongly advocate the importance of such campaigns and initiatives which provide the public information and well as give them an opportunity to ask questions about the disease,” she added.

Khalid Al Sheikh Mubarak, deputy director general at the DHA, said the efforts of the authority are towards reducing the prevalence of Thalassemia in the society.

“The DHA will send eight thalassemic patients to Turkey for a holiday trip as part of the campaign to support them. Patients above the age of 18 will fly to Turkey on the April 22, along with two nurses from the thalassemia centre,” he added.

According to him, the trip will provide them with recreational activities to break the monotony of regular treatments, which they need to undergo.

After this campaign, staff members and patients from the centre will head to the 14th TIF (Thalassemia International Federation) international conference for patients and parents, which will take place in Turkey from May 11 to 14.

Benchmark to check vegetable price manipulation

2011-04-30T19:23:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

28 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Solid parametres to create transparency and stability of prices in the local vegetable market have been implemented by the authorities in the capital.

The Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC) has set up a weekly price benchmark for locally-grown vegetables, effectively preventing price manipulation by some traders who artificially drive prices high or low.

A top official indicated that the initiative will satisfy customer requirements with competitive prices and quality presentation of the produce, while ensuring a competitive environment for locally-grown products to increase the income of farm owners and develop a sustainable agricultural production.

Christopher Hirst, CEO of the ADFSC, said the weekly list of prices for the purchase of local products from farmers will protect them from daily market fluctuations and the purchase prices will ensure them achieve the highest returns from their products.

The weekly price benchmark has been made available in the vegetables collection centres in the western region of Abu Dhabi.

“The benchmark will create a certain balance in prices through the enhancement of opportunities of marketing the local produce in a way which suits the interest of both the producer and the consumers alike,” he added.

The system sets the average price for the purchase of local produce which is incorporated into supply contracts with farmers, ensuring them a stable marketing opportunity free from the risk of daily price fluctuations.

“Since the beginning of the current farming season, the ADFSC has been implementing different measures to control vegetables prices in the favor of consumers,” he said.

“Customers have witnessed an evident decrease in the cost of vegetables during the last two months as a result of the abundance of local production of fresh vegetables, especially cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages and eggplants,” according to him.

“Prices of some vegetables also have reduced at unprecedented rates due to the higher volumes of local produce and the increase in the number of marketing channels of the local produce. The ADFSC annual contract agreement enables the farmer to focus on cultivation and production since the marketing is secured for the entire 12-month period.”

“Feasibility studies made about the marketing of the local products suggested that the agricultural marketing centres play a pivotal role as a main marketing channel for farmers and livestock breeders, allowing them to compete in the local market,” elaborated Hirst.

As per the overall price indicator, the majority of vegetables registered a decrease ranging from 40 per cent to 60 per cent during the last two months in comparison with the same period last year.

The centre will launch a comprehensive marketing plan to promote local produce. Infrastructure will be developed to facilitate the delivery, transport, storage and distribution operations of the produce sourced from local farms.

“Provision of suitable marketing channels will guarantee the marketing and the arrival of these products to consumers,” Hirst concluded.

(Pix: Supplied)

Ban lifted on bird import from GCC countries

2011-04-18T14:35:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: The Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) has lifted a ban on import of live birds and poultry products from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab region.

The MoEW had imposed the ban earlier as part of its surveillance on bird flu pandemic that communicated through import of bird products.

Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, on Sunday issued an administrative decision in this regard based on recent recommendations from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

The nod has been given to lift the ban on trading in all species of birds and their products from the GCC and the Arab countries, according to a spokesperson at the MoEW.

“The resolution specifies entry of any type of bird live or slaughtered, or their products by obtaining an import permit in advance from the environment ministry,” she said.

“The exporting country should be free of bird flu at least 12 months before the date of shipment, with certificates and documents from government agencies to prove that the products are free from virus or contamination,” she added.

“The shipment of live birds should carry veterinary health certificate from competent authorities of the exporting country to ensure that they are noted affected with any type of infectious disease. Also the importer should produce a certificate issued by an accredited laboratory within a period not exceeding 21 days of the export that the birds or products have been tested clinically,” elaborated the ministry official.

“In the case of breach of any condition, the imported consignment will be rejected and returned to the country of origin or will be confiscated and destroyed in the UAE in accordance with the quarantine procedures,” she concluded.

(Pic used for illustrative purpose)

Al Barsha health centre to serve 60,000 residents

2011-04-18T14:30:00.003+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

14 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: Aimed at catering to 60,000 residents, the health centre in Al Barsha will be operational in mid 2012, announced Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

The health centre, located in Al Barsha 2, has a built up area of 70,000 sq ft, and will be constructed with a total investment of Dhs50 million, said Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of the DHA.

He was speaking after laying foundation stone for the state-of-the-art facility on Wednesday.

"The DHA is planning to launch more facilities to strengthen primary health care system in the emirate, and address the medical needs of the population at the highest global standards of quality. The authority has a total of 16 health clinics spread out across the emirate," he added.

According to Al Murooshid, the primary health clinics should provide frontline treatment to patients.

"The Al Barsha health centre will provide multidisciplinary services to its population. It will have two an emergency section, family clinics, specialist clinics, specialist centres, dental centres, maternity and child care, x-ray and laboratory, health screening services and a pharmacy," he elaborated.

The existing primary health care centres of the DHA are located in Al Mamzar, Abu Hail, Al Qusais Al Twar Al Rashidiya, Al Khawaneej, Nad Al Hammar Al Mazhar, Al Safa, Al Mankhool, Al Lisaily, Al Barsha, Umm Suqeim, Al Bada'a and Nad Al Sheba, in addition to the Airport Medical Health Centre.

Green choice when fish is on menu

2011-04-18T14:29:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

12 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: Resources of the UAE’s highly favoured fish Hamour is at the top of the over-fished species list, as it has been facing declines of 90 per cent since 1978, reveals an environment expert.

This delicious fish is excessively exploited and being trawled seven times beyond sustainable levels, said Nessrine Alzahlawi, Conservation Officer and Marine Biologist at The Emirates Wildlife Society- WWF (EWS-WWF).

She was speaking after the launch of “Sustainable Fish Recipes”, a first-of-its-kind sustainable fish cookbook that features 20 sustainable fish recipes from the UAE.

The new ‘choose wisely’ cookbook has been released by the Emirates Wildlife Society- WWF (EWS-WWF) on Monday at Gordon Ramsey’s Verre restaurant at Hilton Dubai Creek. The book is a real community effort, reflecting the special nature of the UAE residents and fish.

“The cookbook is the latest addition to the EWS-WWF’s ‘choose wisely’ sustainable fisheries campaign. It showcases recipes submitted to the sustainable fish dish challenge. This is the green choice, when fish is on the menu for the UAE residents,” added Alzahlawi.

“The recipes help people taste the benefits of eating sustainable green-labeled “Go For It” fish and offers consumers alternatives to eating red-labeled “Think Again” fish such as the Hammour, King Fish, and Shaari,” she added.

“Recipes reflect the cuisines of India, the UAE, Europe and South America. Recipes of Tamil Nadu Fish Curry, Shaari Eshkeli with Lemon and Olive Oil, and Hot-Smoked Green Tea Souli Wraps are a few among them,” said Alzahlawi.

According to her, the main goal of the EWS-WWF’s “Choose Wisely” campaign is to address the environmental impact of overfishing in the UAE by increasing customer awareness about the heavy exploitation of UAE fish resources, encourage action from concerned stakeholders, and offer delicious tasting ‘Go For It’ alternatives.

“With colorful names like the Pink-Eared Emperor, Orange-Spotted Trevally, Yellow Bar Angel Fish, and the Sordid Sweetlips, sustainable green-labeled “Go For It” fish taste delicious. The 48-page bi-lingual cookbook explores their flavors with 20 fully-illustrated multi-ethnic recipes submitted by amateur chefs from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah,” she elaborated.

“The recipes were sourced as part of the ‘Sustainable Fish Dish Challenge’ sponsored by the EWS-WWF and the Environment Agency–Abu Dhabi. Consumers submitted their favorite sustainable fish recipes to the www.choosewisely.ae website,” noted Alzahlawi.

“The recipes were rated by fellow fish eaters. A selection of recipes from the participants in the Sustainable Fish Dish Challenge was chosen for this book. The cookbook recently won the "UAE Best Fish and Seafood Book" from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2010 for its efforts,” she added.

The 20 sustainable fish recipes use sustainable species of the UAE fish which will be made available free of charge from Choose Wisely partners’ hotels and restaurants, as well as from the EWS-WWF offices located on the 8th floor of the Chamber of Commerce Building in Abu Dhabi .

(Pic: Supplied)

More health facilities to get global accreditation

2011-04-18T14:22:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

11 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai: Aimed at raising the quality standards of healthcare services, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has decided to implement more strategies and procedures that would help gain international accreditation for the country's public and private sector healthcare facilities.

The ministry had signed an agreement last year with a US Accreditation agency to evaluate the services, performance standards and practices at the ministry's healthcare facilities.

The ministry is currently speeding up the implementation of the criteria at the health facilities, by setting up a special committee in this regard, according a top MoH official.

Khalid Majid Lootah, assistant undersecretary for Institutional and Supporting Services at the MoH, said the team will supervise the accreditation procedures and an action plan. The team has begun visiting three hospitals such as Sheikh Khelifa Hospital in Ajman, Saqer Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah and Kalba Hospital.

"The accreditation project will be implemented within ten phases beginning with a training programme, formation of a supervision committee, training of the employees, supervision of the team for preparation of the hospitals in the project, field trips to hospitals and health centres, initial assessment, and preparation of final report," he added.

Dr Amina Al Marzooqi, one of the team members, said an initial assessment for the services at the hospitals has been prepared, which highlights three main aspects, such as leadership factors, administration techniques and health services and safety of patients.

Daughter of Indian singer drowns in Dubai pool

2011-04-15T02:15:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

15 April 2011, The Gulf Today

DUBAI: Renowned Indian playback singer KS Chithra’s eight-year-old daughter Nandana drowned in the swimming pool of a private villa at Emirates Hills in Dubai on Thursday morning.

The body was repatriated to the Indian city of Chennai, where the singer’s family is settled, on Thursday night.

Nandana, a special needs child, was found lying in the pool at 8.30am. The child was rushed to Cedars Jebel Ali International Hospital, but it was too late, sources said.

Chithra landed in Dubai with her daughter and husband Vijayashankar a couple of days ago to perform at AR Rahman “Special Hits” musical show at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday evening to celebrate the Oscar-winning Indian musician’s playback tracks.

Manikandan, a Dubai resident who is close to Chithra’s family, told The Gulf Today that the tragedy happened while the singer and her family were preparing to leave their friend’s residence for the show’s rehearsal.

“When they saw the front door of the house open and Nandana missing, they rushed out and found her in the swimming pool. After confirming the child’s death at the private hospital, the body was taken to Dubai Police Scientific and Forensic Lab and from there to Sonapur Health Centre for embalming. By around 6.30pm the body was moved to the airport for repatriation,” he added.

The incident has plunged the entire Indian film fraternity in shock and sorrow. “It was sad news for Keralites that their beloved KS Chitra’s only little daughter Nandana died after falling into the swimming pool,” Manikandan said.

Nandana, now a Grade 1 student at a Chennai school, was born to the singer who was childless for around 15 years of her marriage. KS Chithra had told this reporter earlier on the eve of a Dubai music show that she used to take her daughter for the music shows anywhere in the world, as Nandana is a special needs child.

When she came to Dubai, Chithra chose her sister’s home instead of staying with the rest of the troupe at a hotel arranged by concert organizers Media Factory.

Chitra and her husband Vijayashankar, an engineer-turned-businessman, were blessed with Nandana immediately after the release of the Malayalam movie titled “Nandanam,” for which Chitra sung a hit track, and thus the couple named her so.

KS Chitra has lent her voice to films in various languages and has bagged six national awards and numerous other accolades.

(Pic: Supplied)

Health ministry doubles drug budget to Dhs300m

2011-04-09T16:15:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

9 April 2011, The Gulf Today

The fund for purchasing medicines for hospitals and health centres in the public sector has been doubled by the UAE Ministry of Health (MoH) by 100 per cent, from Dhs150 million spent in 2010 to an outlay of Dhs300 million this year.
The authority is currently implementing a new mechanism to purchase all the necessary medicines in advance for 2011, indicated a top MoH official.
Khalid Majid Lootah, assistant undersecretary for Institutional and Supporting Services at the MoH, said the procedure would identify the need for drugs at the various health facilities, while enabling each hospital to clearly specify the requirements simultaneously.
“The system will be completely implemented next year, and the MoH will give out the drugs to all hospitals based on their requirements. The issues pertaining to shortage of drugs for chronic diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure will be resolved fully once it’s fully operational,” he added.
“Painkillers and vaccinations for various diseases worth Dhs56 million have been included in the current year’s budget for drugs to be supplied at the government hospitals. The value of drugs to be purchased to be used for treatment of chronic diseases has been estimated at Dhs17 million,” he revealed.

“The total cost of medicine purchases by the ministry during the two past months had reached Dhs117 million. Around Dhs752,000 have been allocated to guarantee the required medicines at the hospitals and health centres for the coming six months,” noted Lootah.

Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, UAE Minister of Health, said the decision comes to ensure essential medicines to all residents in the country, by guaranteeing sufficient quantity of medicines at the government health facilities in all medical districts.

“The federal authority has issued a circular to implement the new electronic system Wareed at all facilities. The automated system will effectively regulate the availability of medicines and rectify shortage of drugs with accuracy and efficiency,” he added.

Lootah called directors of all hospitals and health centres to inform the ministry on the drug requirement within sufficient time to speed up supply procedures easily and smoothly.

“This will enable the MoH to take the right decision at the right time, and estimate financial allocations and adopt the purchasing items according to the unified purchasing agreements in the GCC countries,” he concluded.

World Health Day focuses on challenges of drug resistance

2011-04-09T15:35:00.003+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

7 April 2011, The Gulf Today

As drug resistance has become more severe, many infections are no longer easily cured and the condition leads to prolonged and expensive treatment and even greater risk of death, warned World Health Organisation (WHO) on the occasion of the World Health Day on Thursday.
The World Health Day is observed to coincide with the date of the WHO’s establishment.
The WHO on Wednesday has issued a policy package to get everyone, especially governments and their drug regulatory systems, on the right track, with the right measures, quickly.
The health authorities in the UAE have also raised concerns over the issue of resistance of microbes to anti- drugs and the misuse of drugs.
The UAE Ministry of Health (MoH) will observe the day in solidarity with the international communities and organisations.
The WHO, under the theme “Combat Drug Resistance,” called for urgent and concerted action by governments, health professionals, industry and civil society and patients to slow down the spread of drug resistance.
A spokesperson of the MoH said the activities in the UAE focuses on the ways of preserving the valuable wealth of drugs in order to benefit the future generations, with the theme “No action today, no cure tomorrow.”
“The activities in the UAE will highlight WHO’s role in creating awareness in the community in rationalising the use of drugs and anti viruses,” he added.
Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman His Highness Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi will open the World Health Day celebrations in Ajman. The minister of health Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim will deliver a keynote speech on the issue of drugs and disease resistance.
Salah Amiri, Assistant Director General of the Environment and Public Health Services at the DM, said, “Antimicrobial Resistance” is the theme of world health day activities at Dubai Municipality’s (DM) public health services department.
“The civic body’s health awareness activities focused on the need for the correct use of medicines, and the need to work together for the conservation of these medicines for the future generation,” he added.
Zohoor Hussein Sabbagh, Director of Public Health Services Department at the DM, said “Antimicrobial resistance on the global level threatens continued survival of many of the drugs currently used to treat patients, as well as important achievements in the fight against major infectious diseases.”
“We need to work with all our energies on promoting health awareness in all health, environmental occasions for entire categories of public employees, students, associations, clubs, libraries, centres and others around Dubai,” he added.
According to WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, the world is on the brink of losing these miracle cures. In the absence of urgent corrective and protective actions, the world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era, in which many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, kill unabated.

“At a time of multiple calamities in the world, we cannot allow the loss of essential medicines and essential cures for many millions of people,” she added.

“The recommended policy steps included developing and implementing a comprehensive, financed national plan, strengthening surveillance and laboratory capacity, ensuring uninterrupted access to essential medicines of assured quality, regulating and promoting rational use of medicines, enhancing infection prevention and control and fostering innovation and research and development for new tools,” Chan elaborated.

Dubai introduces Digital City Project

2011-04-09T15:31:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

6 April 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai Municipality (DM) has introduced its Digital City Project (DCP), which it claims will help the Emirate’s residents to avail the civic body’s services easier, faster and in a more transparent manner, through this quick response (QR) code system.
The platform to provide services to the public through electronic modes is with an aim to save their time, money and effort as communications are made easier and information is exchanged more rapidly.

The DCP will enable the public with electronic tools to request a range of DM services including building plan permit, adding land transaction with sale, renewal of survey maps of allotted plots, building demarcation and permit renewal, permit for décor work and temporary use of plot.

A DM spokesperson elaborated that request for new registration of local consultant or contractor, changing contractor or consultant after issuing building permit, and request for permanent connection with sewage network can also be made through the digital city project.

Hussein Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality (DM) said that the new service will help user to easily access municipality services to know the plot number, data on the owner, plan use of land, building permit details, building and planning violations issued against the plot and health and safety violations against food and health establishments.
"Also, inspection visit programmes planned for a building, checking the periodicity of field visits actually carried out on building, in addition to the follow-up of visits programme implemented by the supervision engineers of the sites under construction can be accomplished," he added.
“The user can also check the results of the last field visit on the building, staff register of food preparation and public health establishments and their commitment to occupational health standards, follow-up the preventive maintenance visits carried out on irrigation pump network in the Emirate,” he added.

“The system also enables the owner to know the violations and the remarks issued on his land, view the new advertisements and directives of Dubai Municipality, as well as review and get a copy of the procedures for obtaining Municipality services and the required documents. User can even participate in the evaluation of satisfaction level with services provided at the different sites where municipality services are delivered,” Lootah said.
The QR service applications are aimed at improving services and applying the best electronic technologies to ensure effectiveness of its operations and procedures. It will link all the DM services with a single system, providing a number and QR code for each building in the Emirate.

“Users of iPhone and Blackberry can take advantage of QR technology by downloading applications and installing a Mobile-tag to their hand sets. The users can take a photo of the QR code of any required service and a copy of the procedures for obtaining the service will be downloaded on the phone directly,” Lootah added.

“The QR Code is an encrypted column that can be read using mobile phones. The code stores phone numbers, URLs, e-mail addresses and any other alphanumeric data, with a capacity of storing up to 4,296 characters or digits,” he pointed out.

“By using a mobile device with a built-in camera and a tag reader, the user can access any site address of land without using the keyboard. The QR Code can be used in several ways for numerous uses. Instead of typing phone numbers you need only to pass the mobile on the QR Code to save it in your device, in addition to many other usages which certainly will benefit the user,” elaborated the official.

Unified patient registry system for UAE hospitals

2011-04-03T16:22:00.001+04:00

The electronic linking system Wareed will integrate medical records across the country

BY PMA RASHEED

2 April 2011, The Gulf Today

The second phase of inter-and-intra hospital connectivity and information sharing system "Wareed," was implemented last week by the Ministry of Health (MoH) within public sector hospitals.

The new hospital information mechanism will automate and integrate healthcare processes and medical records across all 15 public sector hospitals, 68 affiliate clinics and 18 other medical facilities in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

The "one patient, one registry" "Wareed" will also connect different departments within each health facility, resulting in an efficient and accessible method of monitoring patient health through a shared database and ensuring effective medical practices with the support of advanced technologies.

Once fully implemented, "Wareed" will be a single platform to source and share patient database, treatment history, information of disease and progress reports, as the system simultaneously networks hospitals and departments within them, health officials indicated.

Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, UAE Minister of Health said the system would enormously impact patient care in the country, eliminating existing hurdles in their path to gain access to health facilities. This is because the system enables their visits after fixing appointments over telephone or text messages.

"The ministry will set up call centres for the management of consultation appointments through the system, which in turn would ease patient traffic, once 'Wareed' is operational," he added while addressing the media.

Dr Hassan assured the new mechanism would help guarantee higher level of safety to patients and eliminate medical errors, malpractices or medical negligence. The system would resolve complaints, 70 per cent of them received from the patients, about lack of transparency.

Dr Salem Al Darmaki, acting undersecretary at the MoH, said, "'Wareed' is already operational at Sheikh Khelifa Hospital and Mushairaf Health Centre in Ajman, since the project was implemented at the centres during its primary phase in 2009.

"During the second phase, the mechanism was fully applied at Kuwait Hospital in Sharjah recently, electronically linking the emergency, registration and appointment sections of the facility," he added.

"The MoH also has completed implementing the project at Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah, and is currently training employees on the system. Other health centres in the Emirate also are preparing to install the electronic system during this second phase," elaborated Dr Al Darmaki.

According to him, the final phase of "Wareed" would be completed by the end of this year.

"Sheikh Khelifa Hospital in Ajman achieved 100 per cent application of the project covering all services. So far, about 150,000 medical files have been archived."

"The system, hosted centrally at a new data centre facility in Abu Dhabi, will connect all hospitals through an advanced network infrastructure," Dr Al Darmaki concluded.

Inspectors rescue 11 Hawksbill turtles on Dubai shores

2011-04-01T10:48:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

1 April 2011, The Gulf Today

A pack of juvenile Hawksbill turtles trapped in heavy sea waste on the shores of Dubai was rescued recently by the marine inspectors of Dubai Municipality (DM).

When the inspectors found the 11 young aquatic species, sized three to five inches and weighing 50 to 150 grams, they were suffering from malnutrition as they had been covered by different types of sea waste materials with their movement hindered.

Mohammed AbdulRahman Hassan, head of the marine environment and wildlife section at the DM, said the highly migratory species of turtles will be released back into their habitat, after carrying out necessary scientific tests on them and providing with required rehabilitation at a specialised centre in the emirate.

“The Hawksbill sea turtles travel through the oceans of the world frequently and this migratory behaviour has made it harder for policymakers to make laws to stop hunting them,” he added.

“It is quite hard to enforce the law to save the hawksbill turtles. As they migrate often, they have become shared resources among nations. If one country makes law to save the hawksbill sea turtles another country hunts them. This situation has given poachers the chance to hunt and trade them, resulting in their rapid extinction”, pointed out Hassan.

He urged fishermen and beachgoers to strictly adhere to the civic body’s environment protection regulations, so as to preserve this threatened marine species. We should be aware of our environment and its elements.

“Nesting places of the turtles on beaches should not be exposed or destructed. We want the people to report such incidents in order to send them back to their natural habitat,” he said.

“Many animal organisations are trying to take initiatives to save these beautiful creatures, as their migratory behaviour has made them more vulnerable. But all their moves are not being successful due to many reasons, due to the lack of human awareness,” he pointed out.

“The hawksbill sea turtles are being protected by different international laws and treaties. They have been enlisted in Appendix I of the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna) which has made any kind of trade of this species illegal,” Hasssan elaborated.

“The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the hawksbill turtles as critically endangered species. The Convention of Migratory Species (CMS) has also enlisted them in Appendices I and II to protect them,” he added.

According to him, all these regulations and treaties would not be able to save the hawksbill sea turtles until and unless these are enforced properly. “It’s not always possible due to many deficiencies. However, we have many other things to do to save this species. Awareness should be raised to keep the ecological balance.”

(Pic: Supplied)

67 drugs to go cheaper from July

2011-03-31T12:19:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

30 March 2011, The Gulf Today

Prices of as many as 67 medicines have been decreased by five per cent to 40 per cent by three major drug manufactures in the UAE, announced the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The price reduction comes into effect following a study undertaken by a MoH-formed special committee, whose findings had revealed that the prices of medicines, which prevailed in the UAE, were the highest in the region.
Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, the Minister of Health has signed a ministerial decision to approve the new drugs price list, which will come into effect from the beginning of July at all private pharmacies in the UAE.

The announcement was made during the inauguration of Pfizer’s new regional headquarters in Dubai Media City on Tuesday.

Dr Amin Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Medical Practices and Licences at the MoH, said, “The pharmaceutical manufacturers Pfizer International, Merck Sharp and Dhome have already reduced their prices of widely-used medicines for a range of diseases including blood pressure, cholesterol, prostate hypertrophy, epilepsy, depression and schizophrenia.”

“Another 20 international pharmaceutical companies are expected to follow suit soon and reduce their prices,” said Dr Amiri, adding, “Other drugs in the revised price list included antibiotics, steroids, antifungal and analgesics.”

According to him, the three drug manufactures responded to the initiatives of the health ministry to elicit the co-operation of the public and private sectors in reducing medicine prices.
Dr Salem Al Darmaki, acting undersecretary at the MoH, noted the health ministry will develop more social partnerships aimed at raising the standards of medical treatment services at reasonable costs that match the residents’ purchasing capacity and living standards, but without financially affecting the service providers.
(Pic used for illustrative purpose only)

People power the ‘hour’

2011-03-27T02:49:00.001+04:00

Thousands join Earth Hour 2011 activities in UAE

By PMA RASHEED

27 March 2011, The Gulf Today

Despite the disruptive climatic conditions that restrained the normal pace of life in the UAE on Saturday, thousands of residents congregated at hundreds of outdoor venues across the seven emirates for the world’s largest civil action on climate change- Earth Hour 2011.

Sandstorms curtained the UAE’s iconic landmarks’ visibility during the day, while the darkness draped the popular attractions at night between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, joining the global action towards a sustainable future.

The UAE residents from every walk of life, in communities large and small, symbolically dimmed lights in their residential premises on Saturday evening, in solidarity with hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi — the resting place of the UAE’s founding father, and the tallest manmade structure in the world Burj Khalifa temporarily went dark during the hour, in addition to hundreds of other landmarks and residential premises across the UAE.

Showing solidarity with activists across the globe on a mission to raise awareness on keeping the earth sustainable, scores of people in the UAE gathered in parks, streets, town squares and homes and witnessed the lights going out on iconic landmarks and city skylines. They captured the moments of the Earth Hour on videos or still cameras, and pledged to conserve energy for the future.

Patron of the Earth Hour in the UAE, the Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS-WWF) said the participation from the UAE government and private sectors and social organisations exceeded that of the last year. “The most significant message this Earth Hour observation spreads is the importance of using natural light, instead of artificial light by letting the sunshine in where there are windows,” said Ida Tillich, acting director general of EWS-WWF.

“It was all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future. The people stood up to take responsibility to protect the environment, turning off all lights along with hundreds of million people across the world,” she added.

“Residents of the seven emirates expressed their commitment to Earth Hour by demonstrating action for the environment and sharing messages with the rest of the community. The campaign will continue to showcase a long-term commitment to evolve beyond switching off the lights for an hour,” Tillich remarked.

“We received immense support from government institutions, businesses and individuals throughout several emirates. The list of UAE landmarks took part in this global climate event included dozens of organizations across the emirates,” she noted.

According to her, observation of the cause turned out to be an excellent example of how the private sector, the government, educators and communities could work together with to strengthen and advance the awareness of our country on environmental issues.

Hind Ahmed Shaker, Director of Government Communications at the Ministry of Environment and Water, said the observation of the Earth Hour should inspire us to reduce our energy use. “It’s the contemplation of the one thing we all have in common - our planet. “The Earth Hour is about the responsibility that all of us have in protecting our environment,” she added.

Sameera Fernandes, a communications professional in Dubai, said the UAE has one of the highest ecological footprints per capita, so our role in addressing what is unequivocally the greatest threat to the planet today is absolutely vital.

“The Earth Hour encourages individuals, commercial establishments and government institutions to demonstrate their leadership on environmental solutions through actions,” she added.

Saeed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), hailed said the solidarity of all residents in Dubai to shut down lights and unnecessary electric goods during the earth hour.

He advised the residents to continue the passion and spirit of conservation which they showed during the event by going beyond the Earth Hour and make a pledge, large or small, to preserve natural resources in their daily lives.

“The DEWA was the first institution to support Earth Hour since 2008. The authority has been implementing various programmes to educate its customers and the community on the responsible use of electricity and water, conservation of the environment and the protection of our planet,” noted Al Tayer.

Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties talked about participation of Emaar in the Earth Hour prgramme, “The Earth Hour is one of the key sustainability initiatives that we undertake across our communities to further strengthen awareness on climate change, while at the same time driving the participatory action of our residents. “The participation of our communities will contribute to tangible energy gains in addition to encouraging people to be more judicious about energy use.”

(Pix by Nisham A Manaf)

Dark landmarks to light up green message

2011-03-26T12:55:00.003+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

26 March 2011, The Gulf Today

Iconic landmarks, residents, government departments and various organisations in the UAE will join millions across the world on Saturday in marking the largest action for the planet, Earth Hour 2011, by switching off electric lights for an hour from 8.30pm.

This year, the global lights-out event has reached record participation, with 131 countries and territories registered to take part, on all seven continents.

Activists and public figures in the UAE have urged the public to show their support for the planet in many ways, whether they are individuals, businesses or schools. “You can start by signing up and joining the Earth Hour movement in the UAE, or can create your own Earth Hour event.”

Various public events have been planned to mark the time when iconic landmarks across the emirates, including Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi will go dark in solidarity with the world’s largest environmental call for action on climate change.

This year the Earth Hour urges individuals, governments and other organisations to “Go Beyond the Hour” by committing to enduring actions, big or small, that they will sustain for the future of our planet.

The Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), in tandem with the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), will run the campaign to showcase a long-term commitment to evolve beyond switching off the lights for an hour.

A spokesperson of the EWS-WWF said the list of landmarks participating in the global switch-off event and number of participants in the UAE is record breaking this year. More than 200 companies have signed up, most of whom pledged to go beyond the hour.

The EWS-WWF called for all UAE residents to take action and get involved with events set to take place across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah and other emirates.

“The public events planned across the emirates included programmes at Abu Dhabi Corniche Beaches, Dubai Festival City celebrations at the Marina, Burj Khalifa Earth Hour switch-off celebration and bazaar at Burj Plaza, porgrammes at Al Qasba in Sharjah and Earth Hour gathering at the Fujairah Fort,” said the EWS-WWF official.

On the occasion of Earth Hour 2011, Dr Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, the UAE Minister of Environment and Water (MoEW), commented, “The growing participation of the UAE residents and organisations in the movement indicates the higher level of awareness in the community to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development.”

“We should achieve sustainable development for us and the future generations. Simple changes in the pattern of our lives can reduce our carbon footprint, save our precious natural resources, and contribute to making the planet a better place to live,” he added.

Ida Tillisch, acting director general of EWS-WWF, said, that the “Going beyond the hour” programme calls for daily actions that incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into one’s lifestyle, and into the corporate sector.

Sharjah

In Sharjah, all non-essential lights will be switched off at the popular entertainment destination Al Qasba and Etisalat building during the hour. An array of educational fun activities will be hosted at Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum outdoor area between 5 to 9.30pm.

In anticipation of the Earth Hour, the Sharjah’s official environmental establishment Bee’ah is calling upon the residents to recycle household waste on a regular basis which will help conserve energy long after the Earth Hour is forgotten.

Khaled Al Huraimel, Chief Executive Officer of Bee’ah, commented that residents can drop their recyclable household waste items such as paper, plastics, aluminium cans and plastic at the central temporary collection point set up at Al Qasba.

“The Bee’ah will then quantify the energy saved by recycling these items. The effort will contribute to conserving even more energy via recycling, and not just by turning off the lights for one hour,” he added.

Abu Dhabi

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City hosts the Earth Hour on the 30th Street of the Cornice Road. The programme scheduled to start at 6.45pm with a lantern walk with Abu Dhabi EcoChicks at beach parking area near Hilton Hotel; followed by ‘Drum up support for Earth Hour’ by Dubai Drums Community, light bulbs exchange programme and musical performance.

“The celebrations will be kicked off at 06.45pm by a candle-lit rally starting off ADNOC refueling station (Beach visitor car park) at Abu Dhabi Corniche to Al Saahel Square beside the Formal Park, accompanied by a military and police band parades as well as drum teams as part of a host of community events,” said the municipality.

The civic body will switch off lights at its head quarters in Al Salam Street as well as at the municipal external centres at Al Bateen, Al Shahama, Al Wathba, Al Zaafraneh and Al Musaffah.

Dubai

In Dubai, the Burj Khalifa programme will witness traditional bazaar with cooking stations and handicrafts at Burj Khalifa Plaza at 5pm. The lantern march, hosted by DEWA, will be staged between 8.30pm to 9.30pm. The festival city will host school art exhibition and competition at DFC Atrium, candle light and floating lantern celebration for the planet, entertainment at DFC Marina, and candlelight dinners at DFC dining venues.

Two digital cameras and printer will be presented to the winning Earth Hour photos posted on EWS-WWF Facebook page, while two laptop computers are waiting the winners of the school-aged children participating at the DFC exhibition.

The ship repair entity Drydocks World will observe the Earth Hour, said its chairman Khamis Juma Buamim, “The programme could help us in power savings of up to 10,800KWH at the Dubai yard.”

“Supporting the global consciousness drive for the preservation and responsible consumption of our natural resources, du will switch off electricity in its facilities in Dubai Outsource Zone, Dubai Academic City 8 & 9, Al Salam and Lotus between 8.30pm and 9.30pm,” said Hala Badri, EVP Brand and Communications at du.

Fujairah

Starting from 7pm Kamal Musalam will perform modern Arabic Music at a gathering near Fujairah Fort, which will switch off lights and candle lanterns will float into the air until 9.30pm.

“There’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future,” remarked Ida Tillisch.

“More governmental policies should be developed for the conservation of environment and regulations for effective energy saving in the country. Together we can achieve the meaningful emission reduction necessary to fight climate change,” opined the environmental activist.

“The EWS-WWF programme will give lessons to individuals on going beyond the hour with simple daily actions such as setting air-conditioners to 24 instead of 22 degrees, washing cars with a bucket instead of using a hose, and switching lights to high efficiency bulbs,” she added.

(Pix Supplied)

Locally grown potatoes to enter UAE markets soon

2011-03-24T13:40:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

24 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The residents of the UAE can now enjoy potatoes grown locally in the farms of the country’s Western Region, thanks to the initiatives of the Farmers’ Services Centre in Abu Dhabi (FSC) to introduce potato crops in the desert.
After a successful growing season during the cooler months, farmers are now harvesting up to 25 tonnes every day, with an estimated total harvest of 2,000 tonnes, say officials at the FSC.

Chris Hirst, chief executive officer of the FSC, said the first harvest of large, medium and locally grown salad potatoes, grown on Abu Dhabi farms in much the same way as other field crops, will arrive in stores across the country soon.

“The FSC distributed 150 tonnes of seed potatoes earlier this year to 350 farms in the Western Region under a credit agreement that allows farmers to pay for the seed after the crops have been harvested and marketed,” he added.

“The centre provided training and support to farmers for potato production,” Hirst noted.

According to him, the FSC plans to cultivate more water-efficient vegetables that will improve local food security and efficiency of agricultural water use.

“While traditionally seen as a water intensive crop, potatoes offer long-term food security as well as food production efficiency. The potatoes are surprisingly more effective in terms of food production compared with fodder crops and other vegetables,” he elaborated.

“For every litre of water consumed, potatoes produce one kilocalorie of energy compared to crops such as wheat, which requires double amount of water to generate the same amount of energy,” Hirst pointed out.

"In addition, the storage potential of potatoes make them a valuable product in increasing local food security, notably in a year when water shortages and inclement weather are likely to impact crops in the traditional supply markets of Europe and Saudi Arabia,” he added.

“The most efficient and appropriate strategies are being developed for farming production. Potatoes are well-suited to the UAE’s environment and consumption habits, fitting with our strategic aim to create a holistic, market-driven agricultural sector,” Hirst said.

“The FSC aims to improve the sustainability of the emirate’s agricultural sector, reduce water use, improve the quality of local produce, enhance national food security and ensure a fair income for farmers. It will be launching a brand for high-quality, locally-grown vegetables in 2011.”

“Potatoes are similar to most open field vegetable crops grown in the Western Region. They are planted as specially produced seed potatoes from mid-September to mid-January. They require irrigation, which is supplied though dripper pipes placed in the plant rows. They are produced using an integrated system, which uses a combination of water, fertilizer and other agro chemicals,” explained Hirst.
“They can be produced from 90 to 120 days depending on varieties of planting to harvesting. After harvest they can be sold fresh or stored for prolonged periods and released when the market requires them,” he concluded.

(Images: Supplied)

UAE strictly regulates Japanese food products

2011-03-23T01:54:00.004+04:00

Federal and local bodies tighten control over food imports from Japan

By PMA RASHEED

23 March 2011, The Gulf Today

No consumer food products contaminated by nuclear radiation from quake and Tsunami-hit Japan will be distributed in the UAE, assured the federal food safety watchdog.

At the federal level, the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW), on Tuesday, put into place tight control measures concerning food imports from Japan.
On the other hand, in the Emirate of Dubai, its civic body — concerned about possible radiation contamination — on Tuesday assured that no food products from Japan would be released for sale in the Emirate until lab tests confirm that they are free from contamination and suitable for human consumption.
Dr Mariam Hassan Al Shanasi, acting undersecretary at the MoEW told The Gulf Today that the ministry has undertaken necessary actions to screen foodstuffs imported from Japan.
“The labs under the ministry will conduct the necessary examinations on the Japanese food items to ensure they are safe for human consumption,” she added.
“Those foodstuffs which are contaminated will be confiscated forthwith,” indicated Dr Al Shanasi.
According to her, the country’s labs and facilities can detect radioactive material in the imported foodstuffs.
A senior official at the Dubai Municipality said that the most of the imported food items from Japan to Dubai include fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood products, beverages, soft drinks, grains and cereals, herbs, spices, coffee and tea products, chocolates, sugar and confectioneries.
He pointed out, “However, the food imports from Japan cover less than 1 per cent of the total number of shipments to Dubai. Japanese expatriates living in the emirate are the main consumers of these food products.”
“A total of 450 Japanese shipments arrived in Dubai between January and December in 2010, while the number of shipments is 175 since January to March 15 this year. The total weight of shipments from Japan was estimated at 9,000.54 tonnes last year, while it’s 2,900.83 tonnes until March 15 of this year,” disclosed the municipality.
Speaking about the scientific specifications of the possible radioactive substances, Dr Al Shanasi elaborated, “The radioactive substances that may affect the foodstuffs include Caesium-134 and Caesium-137, which can be detected in water.”
The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) had said on Monday that all food items from Japan will be supplied in the market after stringent monitoring and procedures of laboratory tests.

Health ministry updates pregnant women care protocol

2011-03-19T12:28:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

2 March 2011, The Gulf Today

THE UAE Ministry of Health (MoH) on Tuesday has updated the protocol on pregnant women care in hospitals across the Northern Emirates, according to a senior health official.
Dr Hajar Al Hosani, director of the Central Administration for Maternity Care and Childhood, said the set of norms for pregnant women care have been revamped by the ministry, aimed at ensuring the highest global standard care and services provided to both mothers and infants.
“Administration officials of hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the Northern Emirates reviewed the previous protocol, before updating its articles to prepare it for the final draft of the new set of standards,” she added.
“The new norms will be implemented in maternity care departments of hospitals and primary health centres in the Northern Emirates to level up with international protocols,” noted Al Hosani.
According to her, the protocol also includes post-partum services to provide continuous medical services for mothers before and after the birth of the child.
The health ministry last month had implemented new regulations on screening of newborn babies for 16 types of genetic disorders. The national newborn screening programme will include 30 checkups from next year onwards. The screening was limited to five diseases earlier.

'Traffic accidents No.1 infant killer in UAE'

2011-03-18T11:50:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 March 2011, The Gulf Today

About 62 per cent of infant mortality in the UAE is a result of car traffic accidents, revealed a senior official at Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on Thursday.

Dr Ali Al Marzooqui, director of Public Health and Safety Department of the Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA said that the statistic is not surprising, when one notes that only 2 per cent of infants are actually restrained in a proper car safety seat.

“It is a well-documented fact that traffic injuries and accidents are the UAE’s number one infant killer as more than 62 per cent of baby mortality cases are related to car accidents,” he added.

Dr Al Marzooqui was speaking as part of the DHA’s campaign aimed at highlighting the importance of using a car seat for babies and infants in Dubai.

“Given the statistics, raising awareness and enforcing a law to ensure that babies and infants only travel by car when restrained in a car seat is the obvious way forward. It is everybody’s responsibility to keep our babies safe,” he elaborated.

“The campaign will run from March 17 to 19 at the Mall of the Emirates and a booth will be set up to educate the public about how to use an infant car seat and its importance to protect babies and infants from accidents and fatalities,” a DHA spokesperson said.

“The campaign coincides with the 27th GCC Traffic Week which runs from March 13 to 19. The programme under the slogan ‘Working together to reduce traffic injuries’ will reach out to a large section of society and educate them about health and safety issues,” he added.

Dr Ziad Al Najjar, senior public health promotion specialist, Public Health and Safety Department, Health Policy and Strategy Sector at the DHA, said, “Scientific research supported by independent testing, shows that these seats can reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71 per cent. It is important for families to understand the importance of using a safety seat for babies and infants.”

Ben Boenk, director of Dutchkid FZCO that joins the DHA in the campaign, said that the stand at the Mall of Emirates will be located at the Carrefour Entrance on the first floor and team members from Dutch Kid and Health Bay Polyclinic will be present to demonstrate how to use infant car seats.

“The public will be educated about the functionalities and benefits of using these seats as well as distribute brochures and discount vouchers,” he added.

Dubai Municipality issues new conditions on storage of hazardous goods

2011-03-18T11:43:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 March 2011, The Gulf Today

Dubai Municipality (DM) has issued a new set of environmental requirements to store and handle dangerous goods inside industrial establishments, factory units, companies and warehouses registered in the Emirate.
The recent updation in the environmental conditions for the storage of hazardous items and chemicals comes as part of the local order No.6 of 1991 on “Systems to protect the environment in the Emirate of Dubai” and “ Practice Guide on the Management of Dangerous Goods in the Emirate of Dubai” and technical guidance related to the subject of the storage and handling of dangerous goods issued by the Environment Department of Dubai Municipality, said a top civic official.
Abdul Salam Mohammed Saleh, head of Environment Monitoring Section of the Environment Department at the DM, added that manufacturing or industrial establishments and their storage facilities should comply with the requirements contained in the legislation issued in respect of the storage of dangerous goods and chemicals, and the technical guidance issued by the DM’s environment department.
“All companies, facilities or warehouses that store dangerous goods or chemicals in quantities listed in the practice guide are required to obtain the permit for storage of dangerous goods issued by the environmental monitoring section at the DM,” indicated Saleh.
He noted that the number of permits for storage of dangerous goods in the Emirate has increased more than 300 per cent with 73 permits in 2010, compared to 17 permits issued in 2009.
“Non-compliance of the criteria by the establishments will invite strict legal action, including imposition of fines and disconnection of services. The reluctance to adhere to the conditions could also mean closure of such establishments, facilities and warehouses,” warned Salesh.

Dubai Municipality to accredit labs in the UAE

2011-03-17T23:07:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

17 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The Dubai Accreditation Centre (Dac) under Dubai Municipality (DM) has become the first internationally recognised local accreditation body in the UAE and fourth of that kind in the Middle-East region to provide accreditation to laboratories.

According to officials, the Dac will also be able to provide international accreditations for laboratories outside of the UAE.

The DM and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) have signed a contract on Wednesday to recognise the accreditation given by the municipality to laboratories in the emirate, said a top DM official.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of the DM, said the Dac, a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), will issue internationally recognised accreditation to testing and calibration laboratories in Dubai.

“Registered and licensed health establishments in Dubai can obtain internationally recognised accreditations for their laboratories by enhancing the quality of medical services as well as achieving technical excellence. The accreditations will ensure higher quality services at such facilities,” elaborated Lootah.

A top DHA official said that the health regulation department at the authority will add the Dac to the list of approved accreditation centres for labs in the emirate.

Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of the DHA, said that an option to get laboratories accredited from a local body will significantly contribute to the healthcare facilitates in Dubai. It’s a cost-saving and convenient option for the health sector in the emirate.

“The DHA will provide high quality healthcare services to our stakeholders along with convenience and ease of services. This initiative will enhance the quality of medical services provided to the residents,” he added.

According to Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, director of health regulation at the DHA, this recognition makes it feasible for the laboratories in Dubai to approach a local accreditation body, which is both cost-effective and ensures a lesser turn-around time.

“The DHA, in future, will also recognise accreditations given by the DM to hospitals, once the civic body fulfils all the required criteria for the same,” he added.

Health ministry launches new vaccine for children

2011-03-17T23:03:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

17 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The national immunisation programme under the Ministry of Health (MoH) has introduced a new and safer vaccine that protects children from a range of serious illnesses.

The new immunisation injection, called Pneumoccoccal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV-13), can be administered on all children over the age of two months. The central preventive medicine department at the MoH presented the vaccine on Tuesday.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, assistant undersecretary for health policies at the MoH, said the vaccine will provide children with the broadest coverage from 13 most widespread Pneumoccoccal serotypes that cause meningitis, pneumonia, blood infections and upper respiratory diseases, Bacteremia, Otitis Media, and other diseases.

“Four doses of the vaccine are recommended to administer on children in the period of two, four and six months, and a booster dose at 18 months,” he added.

Dr Salem Al Darmaki, acting undersecretary at the MoH, said in his speech at the seminar that streptococcus pneumonia prevention and treatment of infectious disease are of high priority in the UAE.

“Infectious diseases are on the rise and we have seen that they can travel through communities quickly and extract a heavy financial and human toll. So, the authorities are taking very specific steps to reduce incidence and prevalence rates through systematic prevention measures,” he added.

According to him, streptococcus pneumonia can cause a situation as life threatening as advanced pneumonia.

Health ministry reveals plans to curb youth health issues

2011-03-16T01:09:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

16 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced the results of the UAE Global School Health Survey 2010 on Tuesday, revealing a range of challenges, which are affecting the health of the future generation.
The survey, which was conducted in the UAE with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, UNESCO, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the International AIDS Prevention Union, involved 2,581 students in the age group of 13 to 15 years from 52 government and private schools across the UAE.
It was carried out to study accurate information on their behaviour, activities and cultural disparities that may be a factor in triggering non-communicable diseases among young people, said a top health official.

Authorities, based on the results of the scientific research, are currently planning to develop comprehensive prevention programmes and activities targeting the youth in the country, so as to reduce the burden of morbidity, disability and early death cases among them.

The study revealed that on a daily basis, only 26.2 per cent of the students eat fruits and 17.2 per cent vegetables daily. It also pointed out that 25.6 per cent of all students often drank soft drinks such as Coke and Pepsi and about 21 per cent of the respondents regularly eat fast food from Burger King and McDonalds and Pizza Hut and KFC outlets.

Nearly 78.9 per cent of the students said they had smoked cigarettes during the past thirty days, and they started the habit for the first time at the age of 14 years. About 10.7 per cent of the students had smoked cigarettes in a day during the past thirty days.

The survey also found that 12.3 per cent of the total students, male (18.5%) and females (7.7%), have used shisha and other forms of tobacco during the past thirty days.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, executive director for Health Policies at the MoH, said the survey provided data on the prevalence of a range of unhealthy behaviors as well as the protective measures needed to tackle the causes of fatal diseases among the young people and adults.

“The results will significantly contribute to the development of integrated health strategies to save the future generation from severe health risks. The survey also will exchange information and expertise with regional and global health bodies and organisations,” he added.

“The research monitored sedentary lifestyle, higher prevalence of smoking or tobacco use among the school children, mental health and deep socio-cultural disparities,” Dr Fikri pointed out.

“During the survey, students from 26 government schools and 26 private schools were given a questionnaire on their preferences, eating habits, violence they encountered, physical fights and injuries, physical assaults they faced, mental problems, use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, and their knowledge about HIV/AIDS,” he elaborated.

The inaugural global schools health survey conducted in 2005 had invited the authority’s attention to the alarming challenges resulting from careless behaviour of the young generation in the UAE.

According to him, the MoH is identifying priorities in developing prevention programmes and directing resources for school health services. “Trends and prevalence of health behaviors and protective factors in different countries will be identified to assess school health programmes.”

Nearly half of the students, at 46.7 per cent, said they received lessons during the school year about the benefits of healthy nutrition. About 15 per cent of the students were found to be obese according to the survey, while 35 per cent of them are overweight.

On the mental health of the students, they survey also revealed that 17.1 per cent felt lonely often during the past twelve months, while 38.4 per cent of them felt grief and loss of hope, almost daily for two consecutive weeks. Only 19.2 per cent of the students had received lessons on how to deal with stress.

Mayada Wahsh, programme director of UNICEF in the Gulf region, said, “The questionnaire was developed by experts in more than 15 countries around the world, in collaboration with the WHO, CDC and other international organisations over the past 15 months.”

“The results will be reviewed to draft advanced strategic and practical steps to save the youth from the fatal diseases caused by negative behaviours,” she added.

“Non-infectious diseases were the leading cause for 60 per cent of deaths in the world every year, and 47 per cent of the burden of diseases globally. There are specific risk factors that cause these rates of mortality,” elaborated Wahsh.

Environment ministry inspects organic farms

2011-03-15T08:47:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

15 March 2011, The Gulf Today

THE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) carried out a nationwide inspection visits, since the beginning of this year, at a total of 51 farms, which includes organic farms and agricultural lands that are currently being transformed to organic farms.

The inspections aimed at monitoring the actual cultivated space at these sites, the quantity of production for each crop, and compliance to the requirements for organic agricultural practices, a spokesperson of the ministry said.

According to him, the ministry’s efforts are towards making the standards for organic farming in the UAE comparable to other developed countries in the world.

The federal Law No.5 of 2009 regarding organic products outlines strict guidelines on the production of organic food in the UAE to encourage the local agricultural sector and boost the stocks of locally grown fresh produces.

Specialists at the environment ministry certify organic farms, after thoroughly testing the soil quality at their premises at three different levels, including ground level, 60cm depth and 120cm depth. The crop samples were also tested during three different stages of growth to pick up any traces of chemicals.

“The technical team of the MoEW collected samples of soil, water and fruits for detailed analysis at the MoEW’s central lab. The inspectors provided a number of solutions to farmers and owners of the organic farms, including a list of organic fertilisers and organic pesticides available in the market. The farmers also were educated on the pest control and mechanism to prevent diseases that might affect the crops. The authority will also issue scientific guides to the farmers on the practices and fertilisation procedures at the organic farms," said the MoEW official.

“The ministry targets production of higher volume of organic foods to raise the level of food security and standards of food safety in the country. The organic agriculture practices should be ensured of adherence to the regulations in different stages of production and their distribution,” he noted.

“The MoEW has scheduled periodic follow-up visits, after issuing certificates based on the verification of the farming and irrigation methods, organic fertilisation, processing of the lands for the planting season, cleanliness, and inspection of storing facilities.”

According to a 2010 statistics, the UAE had 13 organic farms with 23 more being developed before the end of 2011. The first farm to be certified was in Sharjah in 2005, which produced organic vegetables and dates.
The MoEW had planned to develop 3,000 hectares of dedicated organic farming agricultural land, even though the production process might face hindrances due to the arid desert climate.

The organic food produces are of higher quality, safer for human consumption, and free from residues of pesticides and all forms of pollutants. Such farming system permanently maintains the fertility of the soil in the long run.

The MoEW insists on the organic farms that they must be free from sewage or treated sewage water and should be located far from chemical plants, cement factories and highways or air polluted areas.

“Mineral fertilisers and chemical pesticides, and potassium nitrate or sodium are not permitted for use in the organic agricultural system. The organic pesticides are natural and biological resistant products that prevent insects or fungus,” said a statement from the MoEW.

“The use of hormones and growth regulators such urea, nitrate, sulfate, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, sulfate, potassium, magnesium and phosphate also should not be used at these premises,” it said.

(Pix : Supplied)

S.Korean president visits Dubai this week

2011-03-15T08:15:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

12 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-bak will visit Dubai this week to receive Zayed International Prize for Environment.

Organisers of the award said that Lee Myung-bak will receive the prize in Dubai from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai at a special Award Ceremony on Monday at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Lee had been announced as the winner of the top award in the Zayed International Prize for global leadership in environment earlier this month for the year 2011 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to implement “green growth” concept.

The “green growth” is a new paradigm for economic development that binds together environment protection and economic prosperity, creating new growth engines and jobs through green technology and clean energy.

“President Lee Myung-bak’s leadership was a central driver in transforming the Republic of Korea’s development path into a low carbon, resource efficient and green economy,” a spokesperson of the award committee said.

“The prize value of $1 million is divided into three categories with the top honour of $500,000 being awarded for Global leadership in environment, which is given to an individual or organisation with a clear impact on the international policy in protecting environment and achieving sustainable development,” he added.

The jury decided that the achievements of the prize winners fulfil the objectives of the Zayed Prize in line with the philosophy of the late Sheikh Zayed.

'Go beyond the call of Earth Hour this year'

2011-03-09T11:16:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

9 March 2011, The Gulf Today

At 8.30pm on 26 March, lights will be switched off around the globe for the 2011 edition of Earth Hour, the world's largest environmental call for action on climate change.

A number of iconic landmarks in the UAE will also keep dimmed their lights between 8.30pm to 9.30pm on the Saturday to observe the annual lights out event, in solidarity with activities across the globe on a mission to raise awareness on keeping the earth sustainable.

But there's more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It's all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future, say environmental activists in the UAE.

Being an opportunity to make a difference for saving the earth every day, the hour unites hundreds of millions of people worldwide with a commitment to ongoing change for the betterment of the planet.

The Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS), in tandem with the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), will run a campaign to showcase a long-term commitment to evolve beyond switching off the lights for an hour.

This year, the activities will witness a growing global community committed to taking environmental actions on an elevated level with people being asked to commit to an action, big or small, that they will sustain the future of the planet.

The WWF has launched a "Beyond the Hour" programme, urging residents of the seven emirates to express their commitment to Earth Hour by demonstrating action for the environment and sharing messages with the rest of the community.

"People are encouraged to upload photographs of sustainable lifestyle themes at www.ewswwf.ae/earthhour in solidarity with the celebration," indicated a WWF spokesperson, "The UAE's "Green Sheikh" Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Nuaimi and other prominent personalities have already uploaded pictures on the web portal. Hosts of photographs from people committing to environmental change can be viewed at the site."

Ida Tillisch, acting director general of EWS-WWF, said, that the "Going beyond the hour" programme calls for daily actions that incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into one's lifestyle, and into the corporate sector.

"More governmental policies should be developed for the conservation of environment and regulations for effective energy saving in the country. Together we can achieve the meaningful emission reduction necessary to fight climate change," Tillisch opined.

"The EWS-WWF programme will give lessons to individuals on going beyond the hour with simple daily actions such as setting air-conditioners to 24 instead of 22 degrees, washing cars with a bucket instead of using a hose, and switching lights to high efficiency bulbs," she added.

"Meanwhile, commercial establishments and organisations are advised to empower an environmental team and all employees to translate the earth hour message into on-going initiatives that reduce water and electricity consumption at work," elaborated Tillisch.

"With a simple flick of the switch and click of the mouse, individuals and organisations will be sending a signal that they want solutions to the climate crisis and they will be taking action. The climate change is the most urgent and pressing issue facing the entire world and we need to unite everyone around meaningful action to tackle it," she noted.

"Collective action of individuals and organisations can truly make a difference in converting the planet a sustainable place for the generations ahead," remarked Andy Ridley, co-founder and executive director of Earth Hour.

"Everyone has the power to make change. A CEO can change an organisation, a 7-year-old can change a classroom, and a president can change a country. This initiative is just the beginning," she noted.

The Earth Hour was launched in Sydney, Australia in 2007, as two million people in one city switched off their lights and by 2010, over 128 countries participated, making it the largest voluntary action ever witnessed.

Earth Hour Daily Environmental Tips

1- I keep my Air Conditioning set at 24 degrees and turn it off when I leave the house. It’s Cool!

2- I open my windows during the cool weather. Ahh Fresh Air! But, remember to close them when you leave the house in case a sandstorm appears.

3- I open the blinds and curtains to use natural light and turn off electric lights. It’s a bright idea, don’t you think?

4- I replaced all my light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs, I use ¼ the energy and save on my energy bill, more money for new shoes

5- I unplug all appliances when not in use; did you know appliances suck a lot of energy, even when not in use?

6- I turn on the water heater 30 minutes before I take my shower; there is no need to heat water 24/7.

7- When I leave my apartment I switch off the lights, TV and air-conditioning.

8- I hang my clothes to dry. Why use a dryer when you have the sun?

9- I fill the cup not the kettle when boiling water.

10- I put my computer to sleep when I go for meetings or lunch.

11- I only wash when I have a full load.

12- I leave my car at home and jump on the metro.

13- I bought a really cool solar powered mobile phone charger.

14- I eat less meat to reduce my ecological footprint.

15- I eat left-overs and try never to waste my food!

16- We installed motion sensing lights in our office.

17- I refill my water bottle instead of taking another plastic bottle that I know won’t be recycled.

18- I’m turning off my lights for Earth Hour and anytime I do not need them.

19- I use candle light at dinner and turn off the lights.

20- Bye Bye hose! I wash my car with a bucket. Did you know desalinated water is extremely energy intensive?

21- My colleagues probably think I’m a geek, but I always ask that the last person to leave turns off all lights in the office.

22- My garden is watered at night, during the day most of it evaporates anyway.

23- I buy energy efficient appliances for my house.

24- My social gatherings are arranged outside when the weather is nice. My guests love picnics on the beach or in the park.

25- I unplug the computer when it is fully charged, it saves energy and it is good for the computer too.

26- I re-use stuff.

27- I cook with lids on the pans; it uses less energy and still tastes yummy.

28- My wardrobe is filled with sustainable fashion.

29- I use a broom when cleaning my driveway and patio instead of a hose. Its good exercise and wastes less.

(Pic Supplied)

Lankans from Libya go home

2011-03-08T10:26:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 8 March 2011

ABOUT 138 stranded Sri Lankan expatriates from troubled Libya arrived in Dubai International Airport a couple of days ago in a special chartered flight, were taken to Colombo on Monday by the Sri Lankan Government and their missions in the UAE.

The Sri Lankan professionals, labourers and their families living in Libya were stranded in Tripoli for days. The government adopted prompt measures to evacuate them from the tumultuous land immediately via Dubai, a spokesperson of the Sri Lankan Consulate told The Gulf Today.

Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai MM Abdul Raheem said that the Sri Lankan expatriates, who were living and working in Libya, arrived in Dubai by a charter flight on March 5, and sent back to Sri Lanka on Monday.

“They will be received by the officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo,” he added.

“The Sri Lanka Embassy in Libya and the Ministry of External Affairs coordinated with Sri Lankan missions in the UAE for the safe return of these Sri Lankans via Dubai to reach their motherland,” Raheem noted.

“Officials from the Consulate General of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Airlines in Dubai met the visiting Sri Lankans at the Dubai Airport and facilitated their smooth transit to Colombo,” he said.

“Previously another batch of 54 and 35 Sri Lankans, who fled from Libya and went to Malta and Greece, arrived in Dubai airport and the officials of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai assisted them for their early return to Colombo,” he elaborated.

According to Raheem, the Sri Lankan Missions in the UAE and Libya will be in contact with their capital to expedite further evacuation of Sri Lankans affected by the Libyan crisis.

‘Food prices may increase at 10% this year’

2011-03-01T20:13:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

1 March 2011, The Gulf Today

The prices of food items in the UAE might further shoot up this year at an estimated rate of 10 per cent, if necessary strategic measures and policies haven’t been implemented on a strong platform to ensure food security and sufficient stocks in the market, warns a top player in the industry.

The food sector in the Gulf region is facing extremely critical challenges in terms of escalating prices, coupled with the mounting issues on food security and availability of sufficient foodstuff stocks, chairman of Al Ghurair Foods Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair said.
“Prices of grains have been constantly affected by the mounting prices of crude oil in the international markets. The food shortage indications should inspire governments to implement strategic measures to ensure food security,” he added.
“We can expect a better crop harvest season this year to boost our food storage and ensure the food security, unless there’s a drought as happened in Russia last year or the heavy rains flooded the Australia fields,” he added.
While talking on the sidelines of Gulfood 2011, the boss of Al Ghurair Foods expressed his concerns over the political implications for the shortage of food stock and increase in prices.
“We have been implementing numerous projects by enhancing its capacity to ensure sufficient food security in the UAE and the region, in addition to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle within the region,” he elaborated.
The region’s giant player in the food sector also has recently reopened its canola crushing plant in Jebel Ali, the largest of its seed crushing unit in the Mena region. The present product portfolio of Al Ghurair Foods includes flour, edible oils, pasta, grains, oats and poultry.
Essa indicated, “The facility will increase the group’s production capacity of canola oil up to 4,500 tonnes daily, which was 3,000 tonnes earlier, in addition to a soya crushing capacity of 2000 tonnes.”
“A new wheat storage facility is being developed by Al Ghurair Foods, the region’s pioneer player in the food sector, in tandem with the government of the UAE,” he said.
“The massive storage facility will be unveiled within a couple of years. Al Ghurair’s 300,000-tonne-capacity silos have been allotted to the government’s strategic food reserves until the project is finished,” Essa added.
“The group has plans to widen its GCC reach and expand operations to more Middle Eastern and North African countries. In the near future, we plan to venture out with more projects in Saudi Arabia, by establishing plants capable of crushing 4000 tonnes of Soya bean and 3000 tonnes of canola per day.”
“Other projects in pipeline include launching of a new product and expansion programmes in the North African region. The new wheat silo in Algeria has a storage capacity of 140,000 tonnes. The project has already been commissioned and the loading and unloading of ships will begin very shortly.”

Al Ghurair Foods, the only private sector food manufacturer in the UAE, shares about 35 per cent of the UAE’s flour market and 20 per cent of the animal feed products.

45,000 residents to join ‘Yalla Walk’ in Dubai

2011-03-01T20:05:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

28 Feb 2011, Th Gulf Today

DUBAI’S public walking tracks will receive over 45,000 residents, as part of the Emirate’s largest health awareness campaign, ‘Yalla Walk,’ which will run between March 5 and 19.
Dubai Municipality (DM) has developed 23 walking tracks at different public parks across the Emirate, and the Yalla Walk campaign will introduce these tracks to the general public, according to DM officials.

Announcing the campaign on Sunday, the DM’s Director General Hussein Nasser Lootah said the programme would raise awareness among people on the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
“The Yalla Walk campaign will be launched at Safa Park on March 5 at 5pm, followed by activities on Sunday at Al Mamzar Park, Al Khawaneej Walking Track, Zabeel Park and Al Barsha Park. The closing ceremony of Yalla Walk will be at Al Mamzar Park on March 19 at 5pm,” Lootah added.
A DM spokesperson said the registration process for the campaign would be from March 1-6. Residents can also register through the special web portal, www.yallawalk.ae. Participants will be provided with a coding number through e-mail, upon registering online.
“The registration number must be printed on the badge to get entry to the contest. People can also register directly or the parks or at Fitness First branches. The participants will be provided with a badge, in addition to a wristband containing a barcode. The barcode must be scanned on the device, provided at the beginning of each track, and the badge should be swiped on the device again when a participant has completed the walk,” he elaborated.
“This is for calculating electronically the distance walked by each participant, who can also visit the website and access the page devoted to him to get all the details and distances. The campaign will also include medical examinations and various events for children,” added the DM official.
Lootah noted that the civic body set up walking tracks in various areas in order to enhance community health supporting tools in the Emirate. The walking tracks will positively change behaviour, thinking and lifestyle of thousands of residents from different nations and at different ages, he pointed out.

According to him, the walking tracks project is one of the most important and vital projects in the Dubai. “The DM does not target a particular age group or specific segment of the society through this campaign. The focus is on the promotion of the walking tracks for people from all walks of life,” he added.

“The Municipality also has kept numerous gift hampers and prizes in store for residents to attract them to the walking tracks, where various activities and contests will be conducted during the campaign period,” he concluded.

DM Healthcare to open third speciality hospital this year

2011-03-01T20:02:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

27 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

The DM Healthcare group, one of the region’s major healthcare service providers, will open a specialised surgery hospital in Dubai by the end of this year.

Dr Azad Moopen, Chairman of the DM Group, said that the group’s third hospital will specialising in advanced ortho, neuro and spinal surgical procedures will be first of its kind health facility in the UAE

“The Medcare Speciality Hospital, which is presently under construction close to the Sheikh Zayed road, will have innovative surgical specialities with a cluster of advanced operational theatres,” said Dr Moopen.

“The hospital will handle cases of hip or arthroscopic surgeries with the most advanced procedures that will enable patients to leave the hospital within one day,” he indicated.

Dr Moopen was speaking on the occasion of launching its new corporate headquarters in a strategic location in the heart of new Dubai on Thurday.

Indian ambassador to India M K Lokesh inaugurated the integrated corporate headquarters at Executive Towers on Business Bay near Burj Khalifa in the presence of Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India in Dubai.

“The new headquarters will consolidate all senior level non-medical professionals under one roof. Hundreds of healthcare establishments and facilities of the DM Healthcare service network will have a unified management and operational platform with the unveiling of the new strategic headquarters,” elaborated Dr Moopen.

He added that the DM Healthcare group is in the midst of expansion in the GCC and India with the number of units set to grow to 300 by the year 2015.

Currently, the network consists of 118 establishments, providing primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare with management and consultancy service. “The headquarters will function with seamless connectivity with its administration offices, hospitals, clinics diagnostic and pharmacy verticals which are recently consolidated under a single brand Aster,” noted Dr Moopen.

Speaking about the DM group’s expansion plans in other GCC countries, Dr Moopen said: “Our next major plan is happening in Saudi Arabia with a chain of projects for tens of health facilities, including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies under the ASTER and Medcare brands.”

“An estimated Dhs300 million will be invested in the KSA in the next three years, in partnership with local Rashid Al Rashid Group,” he added.

Ras Al Khaimah gears up for 2nd annual Terry Fox Run

2011-02-23T02:50:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

23 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

THE second edition of annual RAK Terry Fox Run will be staged at the Ras Al Khaimah Corniche on March 4, aimed at raising funds for cancer research in the UAE.

The RAK Terry Fox Run is the newest of the four Terry Fox Runs in the UAE and the inaugural run last year had been a tremendous success, organisers said.

Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member of the UAE and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah will inaugurate the charity run, which will start off at 9am at the RAK Corniche near the Sheikh Zayed Mosque opposite the Al Safeer market area.

Kris Panday, Canadian Consul General in Dubai, said that the initiative will set the stage for a broader public participation this year to create awareness on a wider canvas and raise funds for cancer research programmes in the UAE.

“The Terry Fox Run is a great example of how a community like in Ras Al Khaimah can work together towards a common goal and in this case it is about joining hands for a worthy cause of raising funds for cancer research,” he noted.

According to him, all the proceeds from this year’s run will be donated to the UAE University Hospital in Al Ain where a number of ongoing and impressive cancer research projects are being conducted.

Jane Shaw, Member of the RAK Terry Fox Organising Committee, said the event will feature a five kilometre distance aimed at runners and joggers and a three kilometre distance for adults, children and families to walk, run, and skateboard or rollerblade, jog or even push the baby stroller in this non-competitive event.

“The track is accessible for wheelchairs. However pets and bikes are not allowed due to safety reasons. The registration procedures and submission of sponsorship forms will begin at 7.30am on March 4,” she added.

“Numerous institutions, schools, government departments, social organisations and private establishments in the emirate have already extended significant support for the charity run. About 1200 people are expected to take part in the run, which will be a fun-filled day for families and residents,” elaborated Shaw.

“The scenic setting at the RAK Corniche will provide a wonderful backdrop for the Friday morning event. The funds are being raised either through direct donations or by individual sponsorship sheets available online at www.premiermarathons.com/rakterryfoxrun,” she said.

“We are currently arranging presentations on Terry Fox at various schools and educational institutions to promote the charity run,” she added.

Shaw urged the public to contact the committee via email at terryfoxrak@gmail.com or get updates through the online platform RAK Terry Fox Run group on Facebook.

Terry Fox was a young Canadian amputee who attempted to run across Canada in 1980 to raise awareness on the need for more money and effort to be given to cancer research.

Sadly, Terry's bone cancer returned during his run and he died shortly after at the age of just 22. His dream to further cancer research, however, lives on and Terry Fox Runs are held around the world every year to bring communities together to raise money for cancer research.

According to www.terryfoxrun.org, about $500 million has been raised to date worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name.

The inaugural RAK Terry Fox Run held last year had attracted around 700 participants and collected over Dhs65,000 in funds.

Dubai Municipality makes green wheels shift

2011-02-23T02:46:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

23 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

VEHICLES belonging to Dubai Municipality (DM) will soon hit the roads powered by natural gas. This move is expected once all the phases of the civic body’s comprehensive plan is completed to switch to a fuel that causes less negative impact on the environment.

Aimed at reducing the CO2 emissions from vehicles, the municipality on Tuesday launched the first phase of its project converting five of its vehicles to natural gas usage.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of the DM, said the initiative will achieve significant environmental benefits by reducing the rate of carbon emissions by 70 per cent in each vehicle when using natural gas.

“The project will be implemented in several stages. During the second phase, commercial vehicles and medium-sized vehicles such as pickups, numbering around 438 vehicles, will be included, provided that natural gas is available through our partners,” he added.

Lootah pointed out that the project entails economic benefits — achieving around Dhs2.3m a year in estimated fuel savings in the event of 400 vehicles taking to the new fuel.

“The DM has become the first government body in the Emirate in converting its vehicles to natural gas. The initiative will preserve the environment by reducing the negative impacts of the traditional fuel used in vehicles,” he added.

Humaid Al Marri, director of Transportation Department at the DM, vouching for natural gas, said it is lighter than air and in case of leakage it is vapourised in the atmosphere, emphasising that it is non-toxic.

“The conversion of the vehicles to natural gas, require approvals to be obtained from authorities concerned. The components and elements of technical parts will be used according to the technical specifications and requirements of the transportation,” he added.

According to Al Marri, the natural gas is widely used currently in major countries as it is one of the environmentally-friendly resources.

“The total number of vehicles operating with natural gas around the world amounts to more than three million vehicles in as many as 60 countries. Some of the manufacturers of vehicles have begun manufacturing vehicles that operate on natural gas as it is most abundant and widespread than crude oil,” he elaborated.

“The use of natural gas is considered one of the most secure sources to use as this system was tested by the approved bodies for leakage of gas and strong frame with standard specifications will be placed around the gas cylinder for its protection in the event of any accident,” he noted.

Al Marri continued, “The screw valve on the cylinder closes automatically in the case of pressure becoming lower than the specified level as a result of any leak within the system. In the case of an accident it opens automatically like a repellent gas valve and as a safety gas evaporates in the atmosphere.”

“The gas cylinders can withstand pressure up to 350 lb/inch as the operating pressure is 220 lb/inch,” he concluded.

Abu Dhabi reopens fresh local produce outlets

2011-02-23T02:35:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

23 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

THE Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC) has reopened three outlets of fresh local produce in Liwa, Al Sila and Al Muroor areas, bringing the total number of such outlets currently functional to five.

The ADFSC will reopen all 23 outlets during the current year, to further strengthen the Emirate’s agricultural sector by promoting local produce and improving national food security, according to a top official.

The UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, had established the fresh local produce stores 25 years ago aimed at selling high quality fresh food varieties at affordable prices for the residents in Abu Dhabi.

Christopher Hirst, CEO of the ADFSC indicated that the reopened outlets constitute the first phase of a comprehensive programme, comprising a wide network of 23 stores across the Emirate.

“The stores have recommenced trading after the completion of extensive maintenance work. The remaining stores are presently under renovation and will be reopened during the current year. The other two stores that are now functional are located at Al Mina and the Delma Island, the former being a temporary one,” he added.

“The reopening of the centres marked a crucial phase in the ADFSC’s efforts at enhancing the market share of local farming produce. Restoration of this service under the ADFSC will help local farmers market their produce effectively and profitably,” Hirst elaborated.

According to him, the consumers will also benefit substantially since the centres will supply locally-sourced quality produce at affordable prices,” he said.

Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, director of Communication and Community Service at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), said the local products in the markets guarantee better food security.

“Several tests carried out by our laboratories confirmed that local vegetables and fruits are on par with the best imported products in terms of quality and nutrition. Besides, they are fresher than imported products, as the time gap between production and sale is considerably less. Moreover, they have an edge over others in terms of price” he pointed out.

Earlier this month, the ADFCA had called upon all trade centres and sales outlets selling vegetables and fruits to strengthen the sale and marketing of local farm products.

Three years see 52,211 premarital health screenings in UAE

2011-02-22T09:56:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

22 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

HUNDREDS of UAE residents who underwent mandatory premarital medical examinations during the last three years were found suffering from various genetic disorders, infectious diseases and other health risks, revealed the health ministry on Monday.
A total of 52,211 screenings were conducted for nine types of infectious and genetic diseases since the law on premarital screening and counselling was made mandatory by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in 2008, a top health official said.

However, the health ministry was reluctant to reveal statistics on the people who are suffering from contagious infections or genetic disorders found during the compulsory medical examinations for the couples.

Dr Muna Al Kawari, director of Central Primary Healthcare Department at the MoH, said that about 14,368 medical screenings were conducted in the initial year 2008 and 19,285 in 2009, while the number of tests decreased to 18,558 last year.

“The medical examinations for the infectious and genetic diseases are conducted at primary health centres in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah,” she added.

According to her, the integrated premarital medical examination is aimed at eradicating risks of transmitting such genetic diseases from parents-to-offspring or spreading infectious diseases between partners.

“The infectious and sexually transmitted diseases that come under the screening procedures include HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Syphilis and the tests for inherited blood disorders include blood grouping and RH factor, Beta Thalassaemia, Sickle Cell Anaemia and Hermoglobinopathies, as well as German Measles (Rubella) immunity status,” said Dr Al Kawari.

“The premarital testing will prevent about 60 per cent of congenital anomalies and about 100 per cent of common inherited blood disorders like Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Anaemia, in addition to preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases to the partner,” she indicated.

“The tests also reduce mother-to-child transmission of some infectious diseases that might lead to congenital anomalies or mental retardation and in some cases death,” she added.

The UAE citizens have to pay Dhs100 and expatriates Dhs250 to undergo the compulsory premarital screening and counselling and the investigation report is ready within a week.
According to the information provided by the MoH, the report of Arab Centre for Genetic Studies revealed in 2007 that the number of hereditary diseases in the UAE reached to 240 diseases of which 82 diseases result from consanguineous marriages.
“About 50 per cent of the marriages in the country are consanguineous, out of which 26 per cent are first degree marriages. Hereditary blood diseases are the most common among genetic disorders in the UAE community,” it said.

Mothers to receive immunisation alerts in UAE

2011-02-18T21:23:00.003+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has launched new mechanism to provide real-time information on vaccination schedules online to UAE residents located in any part of the world.

A top MoH official said that new mothers would be alerted by e-mail and SMS services about the due date of immunisation vaccinations for their babies.

Dr Ebrahim Al Qadi, Central Preventive Medicine Department at the MoH, said, “The patients register with the new online vaccination tracking system and obtain ID numbers, update and view their personal details.”

“The online system will keep tabs on the completed and the future immunisation jabs for the children,” he added.

“The vaccinations are free of charge at government hospitals and clinics. However, the private sector health facilities are permitted to charge fees from patients, based on costs incurred on the procedures,” Dr Al Qadi pointed out.

According to him, the clinics authorised to provide the vaccinations in the public and private sectors will be linked electronically.

“The private healthcare centres will be permitted to offer the compulsory vaccinations only if they meet the ministry’ requirements such as setting up proper storage facilities, implementation of adequate safety guidelines and system for vaccination follow-ups,” noted Dr Al Qadi.

“The online system will cover three vaccination courses under the national immunisation programme. Patients will be able to find out information online about different vaccines, and the level of immunisation they require, he added.

Al Qaraen Health centre to serve 70,000 residents

2011-02-18T21:19:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

As many as 70,000 residents living in Sharjah’s Al Qaraen residential area and nighbouring localities Al Badee, Saijaan, Al Rahmanyia and Al Bataeh will now be able to enjoy global standards in healthcare services within their reach.

The Al Qaraen Health Centre is the newest in the list of public sector health facilities that the ministry has been developing to meet the increasing need of Sharjah population, said a top official at the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Dr Hanif Hassan Ali Al Qassim, the UAE Minister for Health, opened Al Qaraen Health Centre in Sharjah on Wednesday.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqer Al Qassimi, director of Sharjah Medical Zone said the centre is expected to contribute to the mechanism to meet the escalating requirements for provision of healthcare services in accordance with the growth of population.

“The health centre is equipped to provide a variety of high quality medical services, including general treatment and health education services under one umbrella to all residents and school students living in the area,” he added.

“The services available at the centre range from normal blood test procedures to pre-marital examinations and vaccinations, and dental treatment to mammogram tests for early breast cancer detection,” pointed out Al Qassimi.

“The health centre has been built in a total area of 1425.25 square metres, with a service building spanning over 51.80 square metres, in addition to other general facilities.”

“The health centre has eight consultation rooms, two treatment rooms and two dental clinics, radiology and laboratory departments, pharmacy, registration area for patients and other amenities,” he elaborated.

According to him, the centre is also equipped with medical and operational equipment, and 32 professionals from various medical and technical specialisations.

“The centre had been operational on a trial basis since June 1, 2011, and during the six months about 4716 patients visited the facility. About 371 patients, out of the total visitors, underwent dental treatment and 1459 consulted for other diseases,” noted Al Qassimi.

Dr Hanif Hassan said, “Among the several new health facilities announced to open in the Northern Emirates this year, three primary healthcare centres have been slated to open in Nizwa, Al Batayeh and Shees areas of Sharjah.”

“The ministry is developing a number of health facilities either through renovation or construction of new primary healthcare centres or hospitals, equipped with the latest medical supplies and equipment of international standards to ensure quality medical services provided to the UAE citizens and residents,” he indicated.

“A wide range of strategies are also being implemented focusing on continuous medical training and provision of advanced technologies to health facilities to ensure global standard medical practices,” he added.

Dr Salem Abdul Rahman Al Darmaki, acting undersecretary of the MoH, said, “Currently, the ministry is planning to unveil three hospitals, worth Dhs279 million, in the Northern Emirates. The health facilities, handed over to the ministry last year, are expected to open this year.”

“Another hospital also will be handed over to the Ministry of Health by the Ministry of Public Works this year,” he said.

Besides, five more hospital projects are under construction at an estimated investment of up to Dhs1.25 billion,” he added.

Fizz fuss: ‘No alcohol content in Coke’

2011-02-17T12:45:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

17 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

A top official of the Dubai Municipality (DM) has ruled out any possibility of alcohol content in Coca Cola sold in Dubai and the UAE market.

He was responding to international media reports claiming that Coca Cola’s tightly-guarded recipe had been leaked out and that it contained certain percentage of alcohol, among a number of other ingredients, in the secret flavour formula.

The fuss about the fizz oozed out after the recipe was reportedly published by National Public Radio’s ‘This American Life’ earlier this week.

Khalid Mohammed Shareef, director of Food Control Department at the DM told The Gulf Today over the phone that there was no alchoholic content in Coke sold in the UAE.

“The regulations mandate that ingredients should be declared on label and it’s always verified and tested when required,” he added.

“The country has got sufficient mechanisms to ensure that all food items consumed by the residents are safe and free from all prohibited ingredients,” Shareef indicated.

“No alcoholic content was found out in our lab tests in the beverage. The food testing laboratories in the country are operating at the highest global standards, also networked with the all the labs across the world,” he confirmed.

No representative of the Coca Cola in Dubai was available for comments.

But Western media quoted Coca Cola spokesperson Kerry Tressler as saying: “Many third parties have tried to crack our secret formula. Try as they might, they have been unsuccessful because there is only one real thing.”

Painkillers develop peptic ulcer bleeding, warns expert

2011-02-09T12:37:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

9 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

EXCESSIVE use of painkillers for joint and bone diseases leads to increased incidences of peptic ulcer bleed (PUB) in the UAE, warns an expert.
The PUB is a common and potentially life-threatening complication of peptic ulcer disease.
Compared to similar cases across the world, the percentage in the UAE is high as it is a multicultural country.
Dr Saeed Al Shaikh, a Gastroenterologist at Dubai Healthcare City and Welcare Hospital, has called for regular general checkups to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the PUB diseases in the emirates.
Speaking at a medical symposium organised by AstraZeneca Gulf, Dr Shaikh warned that that if not treated properly, the GERD could lead to serious complications, such as inflammation, narrowing of throat, ulcers and bleeding. “The PUB is a major development of stomach ulcers, and it occurs in all ages, especially in older people who excessively use painkillers for bone and joint diseases. It is common in the UAE as it is in other parts of the world, especially amongst elderly and ladies,” Dr Al Shaikh pointed out.
Professor Ernst Kuipers, chair of Gastroenterology, Herpetology and Internal Medicine Departments at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Netherlands, elaborated that a peptic ulcer is a deep and sharply demarcated break in the lining of the stomach.
“Currently, approximately 20 per cent of patients with the PUB may experience a re-bleed even after endoscopic treatment. Such patients are at a three-fold risk of death,” he said.
“When the disease is in the stomach it is described as a gastric ulcer and when in the duodenum (the part of the small intestine between the stomach and the jejunum) its called a duodenal ulcer. The PUB occurs when the ulcer erodes into an underlying blood vessel. In Europe, the PUB affects approximately 50 people per 100,000 people every year,” Kuipers added.
“Patients in most of the cases are not aware of the bleeding, which makes it more critical. They often see black excreta or black or dark red vomiting. If not treated, the PUB can cause death. In many cases, rebleeding occurs due to non-adherence to treatment or eating restricted foods,” he noted.
According to Kuipers, upto 15 per cent of the patients die as a result of the severe condition all over the world.
“Continuous usage of painkillers damages the superficial layer of the stomach that bleeds when the damage becomes bigger and deeper,” he revealed.
Dr Fadel Shaker, the medical manager AstraZeneca Gulf, said that until now there has not been an approved pharmacological treatment to reduce the risk of rebleeding after endoscopic treatment.
“Newly introduced Esomeprazole medication for the treatment of heartburn and other symptoms associated with gastroesophageal acid reflux (GERD) and the PUB has been approved by health authorities in Europe and the UAE,” he added.
“The medicines prevents peptic ulcer rebleeding in adults and fills a significant gap to manage the PUB after endoscopic treatment,” he pointed out.

According to him, it’s the first proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to be indicated in the UAE and Europe for prevention of rebleeding following therapeutic endoscopy for acute bleeding gastric or duodenal ulcers.

42% air pollution in Dubai caused by vehicles

2011-02-08T19:13:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

7 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

THE transport sector contributes about 42 per cent of air pollution in Dubai, and the carbon dioxide emission per vehicle varies from 110 to 250 g/km, revealed Dubai Municipality on Sunday.

From the total air pollution, over 82 per cent comes from car petrol emissions alone. This is in addition to the tens of thousands of other vehicles that enter the city from other emirates.

The figures were revealed by the civic body while announcing the second edition of “Car-Free Day”, which will be staged on Feb.9. Hundreds of civic employees will be leaving their cars at home and taking public transport to work.

According to the figures made available in 2009, there were 1,021,880 vehicles in Dubai and they emit 23,34,762 kg carbon dioxide per day.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, director general of the DM, announced the environmental initiative designed to cut the number of vehicles on Dubai roads.

“This year more local departments will join more than 1,500 employees in the municipality headquarters and the nearby offices in using only public transport modes to reach their offices,” he added.

“Other participating government departments included the Land Department, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Etisalat and the Roads and Transport Authority. All the staff may use public buses, the Metro or water taxis, encouraging the residents to consider alternative transport means for their daily destinations,” Lootah elaborated.

“The private buses that the DM uses to take some of its employees to offices will be left in the garage, and municipal car parks will be closed. We want to encourage the local community to care for their city the best way, by reducing the number of vehicles,” he noted.

According to him, the inaugural edition of the Car-Free Day saved the environment from three tonnes of carbon dioxide emission as more than 1,000 vehicles of employees did not reach the municipality. This is in addition to the vehicles of the DM customers.

“More environmental benefits are expected to be achieved this year from the participation of other government departments in practicing sustainable environmental behaviours and reducing the emission of carbon dioxide that pollute the air,” said the chief of municipality.

He added that the DM will release a detailed report about the result of the initiative. “The study will include the statistics about the volume of carbon dioxide emission reduced due to the initiative by calculating the number of participants and the kind of vehicles they use.”

“The kilometres to be saved per employee may vary as the employees travel daily to the DM offices from different locations,” he said.

Lootah urged the residents to take responsibility for the protection of the environment.

Lootah said the civic body decided to adopt the Car Free Day concept as it facilitates a number of steps that enhance the opportunities for achieving sustainable urban transport, followed by enhanced air quality in the urban area as well as reduction in carbon dioxide emission, which is considered to be a hot gas that causes climate change.

As per the DM’s 2009 statistics, there are 841,444 petrol cars that account for 82.34 per cent of Dubai’s total number of vehicles. The daily CO2 emission from these cars is estimated at 19,221,893kg. About 21,852 petrol trucks come in second place at 2.14 per cent with 499,186kg of CO2 emission.

“While 75,231 diesel cars of the city produce 1,718,572kg of CO2 daily at 7.36 per cent, and 2,456 diesel trucks emit 56,105kg of CO2 at 0.24 per cent, 22,481 diesel buses emit 513,555kg CO2 per day at 2.20 per cent, 24,435 heavy diesel trucks emit 558,192kg CO2 at 2.39 per cent, 18,653 heavy diesel buses emit 426,108kg CO2 at 1.83 per cent and 15,328 petrol motorcycles emit 350,152kg CO2 at 1.50 per cent.”

Sewage system now covers the entire Dubai

2011-02-08T17:33:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

18 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

A number of newly developed areas in Dubai, including locations around Sheikh Zayed Road, Business Bay, Dubai Marina and Aweer have been linked to the main sewage network of the city.

Dubai Municipality (DM) says that the delivery of sewerage services has been ensured in the entire areas of the city with the completion of the several new projects, including the establishment of a giant sewage water treatment plant at Jebel Ali at an estimated cost of Dhs1.55 billion.

Talib Julfar, the director of Drainage and Irrigation Department at the DM, said that new plant, second phase of which was completed in 2010, would be the main sewage treatment plant for the city in place of the current Al Aweer plant.

“An odour treatment plant was also set up to prevent emission of unpleasant stench affecting the surrounding areas,” he added.

“The waste water treatment plant, spanning over an area of 670 hectares of land, has a capacity of processing 300,000 cubic metres per day, 150,000 cubic metres for each phase,” elaborated Julfar.

“Giant sewage pumping stations and pipelines, including a project at an estimated cost of Dhs580 million have been set up to transfer sewage from DubaiÕs different areas to the plant and transfer treated irrigation water to various locations in the city,” he noted.

According to him, the project includes a solid waste treatment plant, which produces fertiliser as a source of economic return from the treatment processes.

“Another sewage pumping station and pumping lines at a cost Dhs191 million has also been completed with a pumping capacity of 2,000 litres per second. The third sewage water pumping station and pumping lines was constructed within a period of two years at an estimated cost of Dhs586 million.”

“The new pumping station near Arabian Ranches Roundabout has a pumping capacity of 9,600 litres per second. Several irrigation projects have been implemented to deliver potable water for irrigation from the new main sewage treatment plant at Jebel Ali,” said Julfar.

“The drainage and irrigation department could cover all the green areas in Dubai through a Dhs258 million project of extending a treated irrigation water line from the main treatment plant,” he added.

Another project of the similar nature was completed recently at a cost Dhs310 million, including a pumping station located at the Dubai-Al Ain road for the delivery of irrigation water until the Jebel AliÐAl Hebab intersection.

“A project for the main irrigation lines to Aweer farms was completed recently at a cost of Dhs103 million, covering an area of 1,346 hectares with a pumping capacity of 500 litres per second,” Julfar noted.

“The project for main irrigation lines on Dubai Bypass Road was completed recently at a cost of Dhs60 million. It includes construction of 12,100 metres long irrigation pipeline network with 1,400mm diameter,” he added.

“The project aims to use treated water for irrigation purposes in the projects developed along the line, as well as improve the pressure in the old network and the estimated capacity is 135,000 cubic metres per day,” concluded Julfar.

Over 1 million animals vaccinated in 2010 in UAE

2011-02-08T17:22:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

31 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

About 1,129,146 animals have been vaccinated across the UAE during the year 2010, said a spokesperson from the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW).

A senior official said that the ministry's strategic objective is to strengthen the country's food safety with highest global standards by increasing levels of bio-security through measures like preventing transmission of epidemic diseases through vaccinations.
Sultan Abdullah Bin Alwan, executive cirector for Agricultural and Veterinary Affairs at the MoEW, said that the vaccine shots have been administered on livestock including sheep, goats, cows and other cattle at farms.
"The MoEW wants to bring down the rate of communicable diseases affecting livestock, and raise vital safety measures for preventing various biological risks and epidemic diseases from affecting the community," he added.
Sumayya Abdul Rahim al Rais, director of the Animal and Plants Health Department at the MoEW, said, "An animal is administered shots of vaccines 10 times during the year for protection from further infection occurrences. Providing them with minerals, vitamins and medicinal supplements is also included in the service."
"The vaccination programme covers various infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth ailments, lung infections, blood poisoning, intestinal diseases and other contagious infections with purulent skin eruptions," she added.
"Tuberculosis, brucellosis and zoonosis are the major deadly diseases transmitted to human beings from infected animals. The fatal diseases enter the human body by ingestion of meat and non-sterilised milk of the infected animals, or by close contact with secretions of the animals," she elaborated.
According to her, the epidemic of foot-mouth-disease (FMD) has emerged due to a fast-spreading virus that infects cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, goats and deer.
The ministry said it has provided free veterinary medicines to the clinics in various parts of the country. The medicines include antibiotics, anti-internal and external parasites and disinfectants.
The MoEW also called for livestock breeders to report cases of illness to the nearest veterinary clinic or the ministry's

Waste recycling project on anvil for Nothern Emirates

2011-02-08T16:13:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

8 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

THE UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) has announced on Monday plans to implement an integrated solid waste recycling project for the Northern Emirates.

The project, to be carried out in tandem with the Ministry of Public Works, is excepted to commence by mid-year, after a primary study on the solid waste generated in the emirates of Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah is conducted.
Dr Ahmed Rashid Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, told The Gulf Today that according to currently available statistics, the Northern Emirates generate about 30 million tonnes of solid waste per year.
“The project will effectively resolve issues related to the massive amount of waste by establishing environmentally-friendly recycling plants in these Emirates,” he added.
“The project will begin, once the primary study on the waste processing and recycling mechanism is completed and approved by the UAE Ministerial Council for Services,” said Dr Fahad.
“The conceptual study will last for three months at an initial cost of up to Dhs2.5 million,” he revealed.
Fareed Al Katheeri, director of the Technical Studies Department at the Ministry of Public Works, said that the study will look into the possibility of finding appropriate solutions to the problem of waste and the feasibility of implementing the project.
“The present waste production will also be surveyed, in addition to analysing and evaluating the existing systems for waste management. The study will focus on the concepts of waste materials segregation from the source to the disposal levels,” he added.
According to Dr Fahad, the project will be implemented in partnership with both the public and private sector establishments, in order to achieve sustainable development in the Northern Emirates.
“The ministry prepared a field study in 2008 to assess the waste management services at the state level, in wake of the constant increase in the quantities of waste. The survey showed disparity in waste management services across the country and poor infrastructures in the Northern Emirates,” he pointed out.

“If the process of waste disposal in the Emirates is not controlled effectively on a sustainable ground, it will pose large threats to public health, the environment and the biodiversity of the country. Proper planning to create an integrated system for sustainable waste management would only reduce the harmful impacts of waste,” elaborated the minister.

No minimum wage structure yet for migrant Lankan workers

2011-02-03T14:07:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

3 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

The Sri Lanka government has not taken any firm decision on fixing a minimum wage limit for its workers in the UAE, according to the newly-appointed chief of Sri Lankan mission in Dubai.
However, a set of standards have been formulated by the authorities which stipulate unskilled workers and domestic helpers to take up jobs if they are offered a minimum Dhs850 to work in the UAE or equal remuneration in other Gulf countries.

MM Abdul Raheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai and Northern Emirates told The Gulf Today that Sri Lankan employment agencies also are required to follow the criteria while recruiting housemaids and domestic helpers from the island.
"The minimum wage structure for the migrant workers has not yet been developed as a bilateral pact to implement it officially, as Indian government and missions in the UAE has recently proposed a hike in the minimum wages for its workforce. The decision on a minimum wage structure cannot be taken arbitrarily," he said.
"We encourage the unskilled workforce from the island not to opt for a job that pays them less than Dhs850 or its equivalent. Meanwhile, there's a huge influx of skilled workers from Sri Lanka to the Emirates engaging in a wide range of vocations. Wage limit for such workers depend on their contract with employment providers," he added.
The Sri Lankan community in the UAE will celebrate their 63rd Independence Day, which is the second occasion after wiping out terrorism from the island, on Friday. MM Abdul Raheem, who took over as the mission chief on Jan 10, will hoist the Sri Lankan national flag at 8.45am at the Consulate, and will direct the celebration activities for the first time during his assignment in Dubai.
"The UAE is home to about 225,000 migrant Sri Lankan workers, out of which 190,000 expatriates are employed in Dubai and Northern Emirates. A significant majority of them are engaged in domestic helpers in the UAE, noted Raheem.
Speaking about rehabilitation of the Gulf returnees to Sri Lanka, Raheem elaborated, "The Sri Lankan labour ministry is addressing the issue by providing them support with local opportunities in different local sectors such as garment manufacturing, fisheries, tourism and related self-employment possibilities."
"Local opportunities have been doubled in the Sri Lanka's post terrorism eradication era, which witnesses escalating prospects in the tourism sphere. The political stability has not only boosted the influx of tourists to the country, also increased interaction among citizens as mobility is ensured between North and North parts of the country," he elaborated.
"My assignments in Dubai include boosting bilateral trade relationship between Dubai and Sri Lanka, focusing on investment opportunities and promotion of tourism. The bilateral trade between the two countries has been estimated at about $550 million in 2010, out of which exports from Sri Lanka to the UAE only account for $215 million," he said.

Tele-boost to healthcare

2011-02-03T13:46:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

2 Feb 2011, The Gulf Today

THE rapid growth in the information technology sphere and communication bandwidth has boosted an equally rapid development of clinical teleradiology in the UAE, according to a Dubai-based radiology expert.

Speaking to The Gulf Today, on the sidelines of the recently concluded Arab Health 2011, Dr Nawab Shafi ul Mulk, director of Global Hawk Telemedicine Services said that teleradiology exploits the latest of technological advancements by bringing radio diagnosis at the patients’ doorsteps.

Teleradiology is the future generation approach to medical information, allowing for transmission of patient radiological images (such as x-rays, CT scans, MRIs). It enables people to get second opinions from specialists in different countries and allows for improved patient outcomes.
The telemedical treatments can radically improve the condition of chronically ill patients, as well as of those who suffer from lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiac disorders, explained Dr Mulk. The technology will provide them with quality of life and access to medical expertise round-the-clock from different parts of the world.

“The latest teleradiology technology makes patients’ medical data available anytime and anywhere in the world. Immediate online access to the patient’s radiological images and reports will make the service efficient and reduce delays in results,” he added.
Dr Mulk introduced teleradiology in the UAE for the first time a couple of years ago, through the channel of the USA Teleradiology Service Providers, networked with a comprehensive team of specialists and researchers worldwide.

The introduction of teleradiology advancements in the UAE’s healthcare sector facilitates early detection and treatment of diseases on a large scale, as clinics and hospitals can efficiently monitor the real-time status of examinations and results.
He said, “Patients in the UAE are provided with consultative radiological services with advanced medical imaging technology. Teleradiology is a compulsive modern tool for physicians to provide accurate diagnosis and treatment, as it can answer many needs within the medical community.”
“Improved quality of care, combined with rapid and accurate diagnosis at comparatively lower expense, is the advantage of the modern medical tool. It provides direct supervision of off-site imaging studies with reduced time spending for patients, facilitating them in maintaining improved their general health.”
“The telemedical services have been widely accepted in the USA, UK and many Western countries. In the UAE also, the number of patients depending on the medical service has been increasing since its inception,” he added.
“The global healthcare sphere faces a serious shortage of radiologists, as the imaging procedures are growing approximately by 15 per cent annually, against an increase of only two per cent in the population of radiologists. Teleradiology effectively contributes to resolve the healthcare industry’s crisis due to scarcity of experts,” Dr Mulk revealed.

He explained that as one of the benefits of the modern tool, teleradiology moves the patient’s information and not the patient. It has positive impacts on emergency neurosurgical care, by reducing the time for diagnosis and treatment of the patient, who needed to be transferred, by avoiding unnecessary transfers.
“In the event of medical emergencies or unexpected illnesses for people who are traveling by ship or have been moved far away from the land, the patient can seek medical aid of specialists from anywhere in the world through the telemedicine network,” he noted.
“The radiographic image files are electronically transmitted from one location to another through the teleradiology network. The technological advances in digital imaging, telecommunications, digital storage, and viewing technologies have made it readily available and reasonably affordable,” he said.
“Being able to review and interpret case studies without physical presence, teleradiology could increase efficiency of the procedures, simultaneously decreasing the chances of delay for completion of study. The report is archived in a comprehensive electronic medical record system,” Dr Mulk added.
According to him, wireless transmission portable viewers potentially improve the application of the procedures and accessibility to the teleradiology technology.
He said that the patients’ radiological images are stored in encrypted temporary storage on the Global Hawk Tele-radiology servers, making them available to the networked international sub-specialist radiologists, who review and provide highest quality specialty reports.
“In the orthopedic trauma application through the teleradiology, the consulting orthopedist at a remote location reviews the case to improve the diagnostic accuracy, and plans surgical procedures and outlays emergency departments of hospitals,” he pointed out.
According to him, the system improves the comfort level of the consulting orthopedic surgeons and limits the risk of litigation for incorrect diagnosis, having the radiographic images available on hand-held devices.
Dr Mulk is currently working on the launch of a mega project for a dozen super specialty centres, named as Global Hawk Imaging and Diagnostic Centres (GHIDC) across the region and other parts of the world.

“Eight centres will be opened in the next two years in the UAE, the KSA, Oman and Qatar. One centre will be set up in Malaysia and the other two are planned to establish in India’s Bangalore and Jaipur. The first imaging and diagnostic centre among the series will be operational soon in Jumeirah,” he said.

Sharjah launches residential recycling programme

2011-01-30T15:28:00.001+04:00

BY PMA RASHEED

30 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

Sharjah’s public sector environmental management establishment Bee’ah has launched a residential recycling programme in the emirate, as a first of its kind initiative in the UAE.

The residential recycling programme aims at promoting source segregation, besides providing the tools such as bins and totes in residential towers to collect waste, said a top official of Bee’ah.

Salim Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Bee’ah, said that the programme includes free door-to-door training on how to recycle at home.

“Bee’ah’s city cleaning division Tandeef plans to serve the whole of the emirate by the end of 2011, as it completes a year of servicing over 800,000 residents in Sharjah. Tandeef’s fleet of vehicles and street sweepers will be further expanded, generating over 750 new jobs, by the end of the year,” he added.

The Tandeef was launched in January 2010, aimed at delivering a comprehensive, cost-effective, environmentally sound and technically reliable waste collection and city beautification solutions.

“Tandeef collects over 600,000 tons of non-hazardous municipal solid waste annually in the serviced sectors within the emirate. The division is currently on an aggressive timeline to expand its collection programmes, complementing Bee’ah’s recycling programme, to include all segments of the community such as residential, commercial and industrial,” elaborated Al Owais.

According to him, this is as part of Bee’ah’s overall integrated waste management strategy.

“Bee’ah is implementing strong strategies to turn waste into resources, placing Sharjah at the forefront of a positive environmental change, leading the way for a greener and better place to live and work,” he indicated.

“Bee’ah has already introduced the Middle East’s first 14-ton street flushing tanker, which goes beyond conventional sweeping and litter picking by cleaning roads with water,” he noted.

Khaled Al Huraimel, CEO of Bee’ah, said, “Tandeef started its operation by servicing Al Majaz Area, which is home to about 300,000 of Sharjah’s nearly one million residents. Within two months, the services were extended to the forth and fifth sectors of the emirate.”

“The Tandeef services included scheduled waste collection, public space and street vacuuming, cleaning, and sweeping. The fleet included a range of superior and all purpose specific vehicles ranging from those used for refuse collection and line-haul long range transport, large street sweepers, mini street sweepers, vacuuming machines to two-stream collection vehicles for waste and recycling,” he explained.

According to him, the division is responsible for the upkeep of the three-stream pedestrian recycling programme that was initially introduced by Bee’ah in 2007.

Al Huraimel noted, “Three-stream recyclers consist of three separate containers for paper, cardboard and plastic, glass and cans, and all other waste. Bee’ah uses these recyclers as a vehicle for furthering education on environmental sustainability by providing advertising opportunities on them for corporations to deliver corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages and communications.”

“GPS vehicle tracking and computerised route-optimisation systems are used to maximise vehicle service efficiency and reduce environmental impact due to emissions.”

“The division is also in charge of collecting waste from Sharjah’s Khalid and Al Khan Lagoons via cleaning boats introduced in August 2010, which are able to collect around 100 kilogrammes of recyclables per day, doubling the rate of earlier techniques used,” concluded Al Huraimel.

Mideast healthcare sector remains robust

2011-01-26T15:16:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 26 Jan 2011

The Middle East healthcare sector continues to enjoy robust growth despite the global financial crunch and stubborn levels of unemployment in Europe and the US, according to the organisers of the 36th edition of Arab Health Congress and Exhibition.
The healthcare spending in the region is expected to triple over the next 15 years to $60 billion annually and the number of beds at hospitals will double to162,000 by 2025, revealed Simon Page, Group Director of Arab Health.
“By the year 2020, the GCC healthcare industry growth will surpass the global healthcare economic trends which show 40 per cent growth over the past five years,” he indicated.
“Having been considerable resilient to the global economic slowdown so far, the GCC is not immune to the challenges that come with a rapidly growing healthcare sector, such as ageing populations, increased burden of diseases and antiquated healthcare systems,” said Page.
“The growth in popularity of fast food and lack of exercise are elective lifestyle issues which have driven instances of diabetes, cardiovascular and obesity-related illnesses to record levels, placing further pressure on regional healthcare providers,” he noted.
“The growth of Arab Health is consistent with the expected boom in the Gulf’s healthcare economy, as more than 300 new exhibitors and a host of new country pavilions are participating this year, with Argentina, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Portugal making their debuts,” he added.
The global healthcare industry meets in Dubai at the largest gathering of healthcare professionals in the Middle East region.
Healthcare establishments from different parts of the world have descended on Dubai do business at the Arab Health, which was kicked off at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday.
The four-day healthcare extravaganza features over 2800 exhibiting companies from 60 countries covering 85,000 square metres of floor space and with the participation of over 65,000 medical and healthcare professionals.
According to Page, the Arab Health features the world’s most comprehensive series of multi-track medical conferences covering the entire spectrum of healthcare provision, management and legislation.
“This year, major delegations have come from China with over 400 participating companies, Germany with over 350 companies and the UAE, the US, the UK and Italy, all with well over 150 companies exhibiting,” he added.
“Large representations also come from France, India, South Korea and Taiwan with upwards of 100 companies each. The exhibition is a complete sell out. The congress is viewed as a must-attend global event in the healthcare calendar,” he said.
“As the global economic downturn puts spotlight on cost-effective business models and investment strategies, leading healthcare professionals from across the world discuss the latest issues and address the challenges in today’s regional and global healthcare industry at Leaders in Healthcare, the flagship event of Arab Health 2011,” elaborated Page.
“The session focuses on developing business models for the sustainable delivery of future healthcare, paying particular attention to cost savings, cost-effectiveness and strategies to raise investment capital.”
“Healthcare professionals should cultivate strategies to economise where prudent and to capitalise on investment opportunities and developing sustainable business models,” he opined.
“Dubai has seen a growth in the development of private healthcare facilities to meet its need of a growing population. The growing population is also more sophisticated in their choice in healthcare so patient-centered care is playing a vital role in building trust and attracting patients to the private sector,” Page said.
Commenting on the main areas of growth for the healthcare industry in Dubai, Dr Ayesha Abdulla, Executive Director of Dubai Healthcare City, said, “There remains a strong demand for high quality healthcare providers in tertiary care. If patient needs can be addressed at home, then they are more likely to stay.”
“This offers great potential for specialists in fields of relevant to the local population’s health issues such as diabetes and cardiology. The demand also included in the areas of oncology, pediatrics, fertility treatment, elderly care, special needs, rehabilitation services and complementary and alternative medicine,” she explained.
Speaking at the Quality Management in Healthcare Conference, Dr Samer H Ellahham, Chief Quality Officer and Senior Consultant of Cleveland Clinic at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, said, “There are significant gaps in quality management practices throughout the Middle East. We need to raise the importance of quality management, to improve the quality of healthcare.”

“With the region’s healthcare sector rapidly expanding, hospitals, clinics and healthcare service providers must stay ahead of the competition by keeping their medical accreditation up-to-date,” he added.

Private medical licensing procedures go online in UAE

2011-01-26T15:13:00.002+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 25 Jan 2011

Goodbye to the long queues and pressures of waiting lengthy hours at the Ministry of Health (MoH) office to apply for the qualifying examinations or license renewal of medical professionals and healthcare establishments!

The licensing procedures for medical professionals and private sector healthcare establishments in the Northern emirates have been modified by the MoH with a unified online access to the licensing and registration services.

The ministry has deployed a smart document solution on evaluation of certificates and medical permits for the applications with a new interface incorporated in the ministry’s web portal, a senior ministry official revealed.

The system has streamlined the process of job application with automated proactive communication wherein documents are stored in a digital format, which allows authorised data verification and comparison. The system also prohibits data change at both software and hardware levels.

Dr Ahmed Al Zarouni, Director of Private Medical Licensing Department at the MoH, said that all new candidates who apply for the qualifying examinations as well as those who want to renew their existing practicing licences can submit their documents online.

“Issuance or renewal of licences or renewal of suspended licences for medical establishments, hospitals and clinics also will be processed through the online interface. Similar procedures are applied for services including change of name or location and expanding the scope of services and type of medical establishment,” he added.

Speaking at the MoH stand at the Arab Health 2011, Dr Al Zarouni noted, “Apart from the previous procedures, submitting all documents manually at the MoH office by the candidates or the companies for evaluation, the documents can be uploaded to the new interface creating a user ID at the MoH website.

“The central licensing administration office will send confirmation acknowledgement to the applicants by email, once the documents have been received. The verification procedures and exam schedules also will be emailed. The candidates can collect their evaluated documents between two weeks to a month from the MoH office,” he elaborated.

“After the administrative office audits, fees collection and review of the documents for any missing information, the applications will be forwarded to the licensing committee for final approval,” he said.

According to Dr Al Zarouni, the smart documentation is an innovative imitative using the latest technology for the highest protection of documents and exchange of information in a faster way with various systems.

“The smart documentation also provides the applicants with a smart chip that has a storage facility to store the information after encryption. By using a special desktop reader or writer device, the applicant can verify the stored information on the certificates,” he added.

“The candidates and companies can ensure information easy and fast on the evaluated certificates and documents for medical permits. The MoH will store the documents in its centralised digital document archiving system in a standard universal format.”

New healthcare facility design standards for capital

2011-01-26T15:10:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

The Gulf Today, 26 Jan 2011

THE healthcare regulator in the capital emirate of Abu Dhabi has set up new requirements to prevent medical errors caused by inappropriate design and construction of healthcare facilities.
The healthcare facility design standards were launched on Tuesday at Arab Health Congress 2011 in Dubai, focusing on specific conditions for construction and design of hospitals, clinics and other health facilities in the emirate.
The new standards are a comprehensive tool that all future healthcare facilities as well as currently refurbished ones need to comply with the norms to obtain or renew their licences, said a senior official at the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD).
Adeeb Al Zaabi, the manager of Health Facility Licensing Department at the Haad, said: “The design consultants for healthcare facilities are required to be pre-qualified in accordance with the standards before submitting such projects for licensing applications at the Haad.”
“The new standards provide indepth information and ready-to-use standard components for the briefing and design of healthcare facilities at no cost,” he added.
“As the standards aim at improving medical outcomes and minimising errors caused by inappropriate facility designs, owners and management of healthcare facilities should also have to be familiar with the conditions as they engage consultants and embark on new projects,” elaborated Al Zaabi.
According to him, it’s a step towards improving the knowledge base for the health care industry.
“Administrative provisions of the new requirements outline the licensing process for healthcare facilities and the prequalification process for design consultants. The clauses also specify on architectural planning, ergonomics, occupational health and safety, infection control and prevention. The building construction also should be environment-friendly to control temperature and humidity,” he elaborated.
“The facilities will be inspected after evaluating the applications by the healthcare facility licensing officials,” said Al Zaabi.
Aladin Niazmand, the global director of TAHPI, Health Facility Planning Specialist, said that the requirements have been drafted and match with the health facilities that reflect current health care functions and procedures in a safe and appropriate environment.

“Apart from the typical proscriptive building regulation, the standards provide knowledge in the specialised area of healthcare briefing, design and construction. It educates and guides, provides terminology and tools, offers ready-made standard components, encourages further innovation and it is locally aware and regionally sensitive,” he added.

Trucks require permit to enter waste disposal sites in Dubai

2011-01-20T14:27:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

20 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

Solid waste transporting trucks should obtain a special permit to enter disposal sites in Dubai, starting from the beginning of February, announced civic authorities.

The waste management department at Dubai Municipality (DM) has started issuing special permits for the entry of such vehicles to the disposal sites in the emirate.

AbdulMajeed Saifaie, director of the department, said that the regulations aimed at ensuring a clean and sustainable environment in the city through implementing integrated waste management especially with issues of solid waste disposal.

"All vehicles carrying construction and demolition waste materials should proceed to the municipal waste disposal site in Al Bayada," he added.

Saifaie confirmed, "Any vehicle that has not obtained the permit from the Municipality waste management department for transporting general waste and does not carry the sticker will not be allowed to enter the landfill in the emirate of Dubai, starting from Feb.1."

Rashed Karkain, head of Technical Support and Studies Section at the Department, elaborated, "The new permitting system will ensure the usability of proper vehicles for safe transportation of waste, in addition to enabling the Municipality for a more effective and efficient operation of landfills."

"Comprehensive statistics on the quantity and types of solid waste production in the Emirate also can be drafted through the permitting system," he added.

According to Karkain, the system will help to properly and strategically plan any future sustainable and innovative waste management system that Dubai may require.

"Sustainable waste management practices such as reducing waste and encouraging recycling programmes will preserve the environment and ensure public health safety," he noted.

"It aims to cover establishments operating in the field of collection, transport and trade of waste materials and controlling practices and activities not licenced by the Municipality, and will focus on stopping environmental and health abuses and violations such as unsafe waste disposal," he added.

"The regulation is based on local Order No. 7 for the year 2002 on waste disposal sites and the Local Order 11 of 2003 and the Technical Guidance 1 issued by the Technical Support and Studies Section of Waste Management Department and other regulatory procedures for the sustainable management of waste in the emirate," Karkain explained.

UAE launches single infant vaccination for 6 diseases

2011-01-20T14:10:00.000+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

20 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

The UAE Ministry of Health (MoH) on Wednesday introduced a nationwide infant immunisation programme, in which six vaccines for different diseases have been combined together into one single shot of injection to be administered at two months of age.

The one-time injection will maximise the immunisation coverage from six types of diseases including Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus Influenza Type-B, Hepatitis B and Poliomyelitis, said a senior MoH official at a vaccination training programme in Sharjah.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, assistant undersecretary for Health Policies at the MoH, indicated that infants across the country will be provided with the six-in-one hexavalent vaccine from February onwards at primary health centres or community and preventive medicine facilities of the ministry.

"The UAE is the first country in the Gulf region to introduce the combined infants' vaccination programme. The private sector hospitals and clinics should follow the ministry initiative of combined vaccination as part of the national immunisation programme 2011," he added.

"With simplicity of administration or improved compliance and effectiveness, the free-of-charge combined vaccination reduces the anxiety of parents as it lessens pain felt by babies, while it provides the same degree of protection from the diseases," elaborated Dr Fikri.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, director of Sharjah Medical District, said that the workshop has been conducted for the vaccination staff members of the public sector across the seven Emirates to give them hands-on training on the methods of storage, preparing and administering the combined vaccine.

"It also focused on updating their knowledge on the new vaccine based on modern scientific developments and recommendations of the World Health Organisation (WHO)," he added.

"The workshop also highlighted the methods of dealing with mothers and creating awareness among them on the national vaccination programme," said Al Qasimi.

Dr Ibrahim Al Qadi, director of Preventive Medicine Department at the MoH, said that the programme is continuously reviewed and updated to cope with the advances in the field of immunology.
"As the hexavalent vaccine provides protection against six diseases with one single injection, it reduces the number of visits to the health centres," he added.

According to him, it makes easier for the mothers to complete all scheduled immunisations on time without delays.

Dr Gamil M Tourky, technical director of Preventive Medicine in Sharjah, said that the NIP chart for the details of childhood vaccination until five years of age would be modified in accordance with the new vaccine programme.

"The hexavalent vaccine, which is being introduced in different phases, will replace the second and third doses of Pentavalent vaccine which is administered at end of the fourth and sixth month. This will happen when the oral polio vaccine is replaced by the intramuscular, injectable polio vaccine which is incorporated in the hexavalent vaccine," Dr Tourky elaborated.

Newborns in UAE to be screened for 16 types of diseases

2011-01-16T14:16:00.001+04:00

By PMA RASHEED

14 Jan 2011, The Gulf Today

Newborn babies in the UAE will hereafter be screened for 16 types of genetic disorders, according to Ministry of Health (MoH) stipulations that came into effect on Thursday.

The screening was limited to five diseases earlier. A ministry official revealed that the national newborn screening programme will include 30 checkups from the next year onwards.

The national newborn screening programme, aimed at protecting children from genetic diseases, is part of the department’s strategy since 1995, as the early screening and treatment can save the lives of newborn babies and decrease the mortality rates.

Dr Hajar Al Hosani, Director of Maternity and Childhood Central Administration at the MoH, said that an advanced technology, named TMS system, has been introduced in the ministry’s screening programmes.

“The system discovers most defects related to amino acids, fatty and organic acids causing disabilities or mortalities of the newborns, if not detected at the early stages and treated properly,” she added.

Al Hosani revealed that that the national newborn screening programme conducted checkups for 670,000 newborn babies between 2005 and 2010. The programme has so far covered about 98 per cent of the newborn babies in all the ministry’s hospitals.

“During this period, about 340 cases of thyroid gland deficiencies have been discovered in newborn babies. About 223 Mangolian anemia and 32 congenital disorders were found in 2010, as the actual participation of the infants reached at 95 per cent in the year,” she elaborated.

“The newborn baby screening programme, since 1995, managed to protect 645 children from dangerous genetic diseases that may cause mental retardation and death,” she said.

According to Al Hosani, the GCC initial statistics showed that metabolic diseases occur at a rate of one baby per 1,000 births and can be discovered by the TMS system.

“The disorder, transmitted from parents to their children, causes various disabilities and death at a rate of three per cent. Even some healthy children may carry the disease like their parents. Such transmission is called recessive hereditary condition that inherited genes from both parents,” she said.

“Possible recurrence of the disease may occur with 25 per cent during the mother’s pregnancy while possible non-re infection is 75 per cent,” she added.

She advised parents to make pre-marital check-up to certify that they are free from the disease and ensure their children might not be affected with it. The parents should make these checkups for their newborn babies regularly.

“Samples are taken from the newborn, after 48 hours of birth, inside the maternity centre of each medical district. All tests are taken through a very small drop of blood via baby’s heel pick leaving the blood to dry in a special place. The test is simple and not harmful to children,” explained Al Hosani.

“International quality standards are implemented in the programme under the supervision of the NEQAS programme, which is applied in Birmingham, UK since 1998. The World Health Organisation also has approved the programme,” she noted.