Looking ahead

At the end of a turbulent year, we take a look at some important and very topical local and global issues, including cancer, diabetes and cardiology. Also reviewed in this expanded issue of Middle East Health, one of our largest-ever and timed to coincide with the Arab Health exhibition in Dubai, are a number of breakthroughs in medical imaging.

In October we acted as moderator to a fascinating and thought-provoking panel discussion in Dubai about the ‘patient experience’. The event, organised by Methodist International, had a range of distinguished speakers on the panel. Read the report on page 54.

Smoking is highly prevalent across the Middle East and the popularity of the shisha pipe exacerbates the problem. We publish a paper by Drs Mathew, Daniel, Bordom, Augusti and Campbell that looks at the deadly effects of tobacco smoke and the damning Middle East statistics of this addictive habit.

Diabetes is epidemic in the Gulf, with several GCC countries in the top 10 in the world ranking of diabetes prevalence. To find out more about the critical situation in Saudi Arabia, we spoke to Dr Khaled Al Tayeb, endocrinologist for the Saudi Ministry of Health – the interview is on page 62. Staying on the subject, we publish an important report from the International Diabetes Federation on the need to boost education about the disorder to meet the needs of the mammoth 285 million people living with the illness.

Philips has announced a breakthrough in their attempt to develop a hybrid PET-MR imaging system. Going by how well it has progressed so far, their HYPERimage project, started in 2008 and which will run until 2011, promises some remarkable new diagnostic imaging capabilities. Read about this innovative development and several others on page 70.

Jordan’s King Hussein Cancer Foundation is doing remarkable work, not least being the provision of funds to provide cancer treatment to those who otherwise would not be able to afford it. We spoke to Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, Director-General of the Foundation, to find out more about their charitable endeavours.

Luckily for regional professionals in this industry, healthcare has not been as badly hit by the economic crisis as most sectors, due to the Gulf authorities’ determination to improve and safeguard the health of nationals and residents alike. 2010 looks set to continue on this growing path, so I and
the team at MEH would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers – and of course our advertisers, who make this publication possible – a productive, prosperous and above all healthy New Year.



Brian Wilkie
Publisher
wilkiexp@emirates.net.ae

 

(Jan-Feb 2010)


 

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