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Cooperation with Germany in health services discussed

By Shaddad Al Musalmy The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Monday held a workshop on integrated health products and service solutions for diabetic diseases, strokes and their prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, in cooperation with the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Climate Protection, Energy and Regional Planning, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany.

Dr Fatma al Ajmi, the director general of health services, governorate of Muscat, MoH, who presided over the event, told Muscat Daily that the workshop provided an opportunity to look at the German health system and its many initiatives and ideas which can be shared with Oman.

"We are impressed with the German health system, and it will be a great idea if we collaborate with their experts. In Oman, there is a high prevalence of diabetes - 13 per cent - compared to Germany's seven per cent. Also, in Oman, the risk factors and incidence of complications are high, which we need to manage," she said.

"Even though we have clinical guidelines and trained people on dealing with diabetes cases, we need to seek expertise from countries like Germany. The stroke unit system does not exist in Oman, and it's something that we can look at adopting.

"Currently, neurologists deal with strokes, but I think it would be a good idea to have units offering prompt medical aid in such cases."

On MoH's efforts to improve diabetes management in the sultanate, Dr Fatma said, "We are trying to work with the community because we believe healthy lifestyles will help reduce the risk of diabetes. We are also working on changing public policies in terms of food trading and industries, and there should be cooperation between the public and private sectors in this regard."

Stephan von Bandemer, from the research department, health industries and quality of life, Institute of Work and Technology, Germany, who led the workshop, said a good level of international cooperation is required to curb the spread of diseases, and there is a need to transfer best practices to other countries.

"In terms of diabetes and stroke management, I believe our visit will be beneficial for both sides. In general, we have 15mn strokes in a year worldwide, 5mn people die due to them every year and another 5mn are left permanently disabled. So there is a need to help each other," he told Muscat Daily.

Even though the incidence of strokes in Oman is not as high as in Germany, Bandemer added that the numbers may increase due to the high prevalence of diabetes, which is a major health risk factor for strokes. "The consequences of strokes are very severe, but they can be prevented and there is are good treatments which we can share with Oman."

"In Germany, we have stroke units equipped with good facilities and well trained personnel. People need to know more about strokes. In the process of cooperation, we will also be learning from Oman in terms of dealing with strokes. There is a need for international exchanges on this issue," he added.

© Muscat Daily 2012