ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 19th Nov, 2020) Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, SEHA, treated over 266,000 patients suffering from diabetes from January 2019 to October 2020.
This period also witnessed around one million visits by patients to SEHA’s various health facilities to receive treatment, diagnosis, and increase awareness about managing the disease. SEHA also conducted a range of educational campaigns to help guide diabetic patients about the management of chronic illnesses in Abu Dhabi.
In 2019, SEHA’s facilities treated 152,245 diabetic patients, and 113,796 from January to October 2020. From January to October 2020, there were 391,951 visits and in 2019 there were 590,302.
Aysha Al Mehri, Group Chief Nursing Officer, Corporate Nursing, SEHA, said, "SEHA is celebrating and marking World Diabetes Day under its theme, ‘Nurses make a difference’, to recognise the integral role of nurses in the treatment of diabetes."
"Nurses work side by side with other multidisciplinary teams to help diabetic patients with clinical management plans, learn to cope with the disease, avoid its complications and provide their families with the educational resources to ensure the best outcomes. Our nursing team also drives community campaigns to promote the role of leading a healthy lifestyle in the prevention of the disease, and the risk factors associated with developing type 2 diabetes." she continued.
"Nurses provide the patients with the appropriate counselling and reiterated the importance of taking prescribed medications. Moreover, our nursing teams organise the home delivery of prescription medications to patients regularly, to minimise their exposure to COVID-19," she added Al Mehri also explained that SEHA has invested in equipping its facilities with the latest diagnostic technologies and devices for the treatment of the disease, and other complications or conditions caused by the disease. For example, facilities leverage the use of blood glucose meters and advanced insulin pumps, in addition to various specialised diabetes monitoring equipment to provide the right treatment to each diabetic patient.
Dr. Omar Naseeb Al-Jabri, Chief Medical Officer, Ambulatory Healthcare Services, AHS, SEHA, said "Under the medication home delivery service, the family medicine practitioner is responsible for evaluating the condition during routine follow-ups. Furthermore, AHS utilises the latest innovations to treat diabetes, including Sudoscan, which identifies the impact and degree of nerve damage within three minutes through a painless procedure. Additionally, we use the ankle-brachial index test which is a quick, non-invasive way to check for peripheral artery disease, PAD, and specialist cameras to detect the early signs of retinopathy, which is classified as any harm caused to the retina of the eye. Nerve damage, PAD, and retinopathy are all complications related to diabetes."
Despite the challenges faced during the pandemic, Al-Jabri stated that AHS provided its 10,079 diabetic patients with adequate support to maintain continuity of their treatment. As part of the medication home delivery service, there were 28,570 examinations conducted on the feet of diabetic patients.
Dr. Nahed Ahmed Balalaa, Chair of the Outpatient Department and Head of the General Surgery Department, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, SSMC, the UAE’s largest hospital for serious and complex care and a joint-venture partnership between Mayo Clinic and SEHA said, "SSMC has a specialised Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinic, which addresses the needs of diabetic patients and treating them by an integrated team of experienced consultant endocrinologists and highly qualified diabetes specialists. Since its establishment at the start of 2020, the clinic has treated 5,000 patients using state-of-the-art diabetes treatments, the latest medications, and innovative delivery of insulin."
"The clinic offers prenatal counselling for pregnant women, using a joint care model of early detection combined with multidisciplinary care, introduced by Mayo Clinic," she stated.
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, SKMC, has a dedicated centre for treating diabetic patients called SKMC Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology. The centre employs an expert team of diabetic and endocrinology disease specialists and consultants who deliver highly effective treatment programmes. The centre also has paediatric capabilities led by a team of experienced doctors and nurses.
Dr. Bashir Taha Salih, Consultant and Chair of Obstetric Medicine Department, Corniche Hospital, commented, "At Corniche Hospital we treat mothers with gestational diabetes at clinics which join the efforts of obstetrics and gynaecology consultants, internal medicine specialists, nutritionists and a specialised team of nurses."
Since the start of 2020 and up until the end of October, Corniche Hospital facilitated the treatment of 1,100 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, Dr. Salih added.
Tawam Hospital treats diabetic patients using the latest diagnostic technology through its Diabetes Centre. The centre provides treatment to 5,000 patients per month, including children and pregnant women. In-patients at Tawam also benefit from the centre’s capabilities.
Al Dhafra Hospitals provides specialised care on the management of diabetes, by working closely with patients and their families, to facilitate treatment through follows up visits and increasing their awareness about the disease. Additionally, the facility also equips patients with the skills of managing hypoglycaemia or high blood sugar.
Al Dhafra Hospitals refers its diabetic patients to its Ophthalmology clinic for regular medical examinations, as part of its effort to prevent complications of the disease and early diagnosis of complications of the disease.
