UAE: New screening facility launched for early detection of diseases

PHOTO

A new program that will help in the early detection of chronic diseases through comprehensive periodic examinations has been rolled out in the UAE Capital.

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (Adphc), the government entity accelerating the UAE’s mission towards a healthy and safe society on Wednesday announced the launch of the Ifhas program.

With chronic diseases a global and local challenge and a leading cause of death, this distinguished health program will see “Thiqa” card holders above 18 years of age benefit from comprehensive medical examinations, helping them to potentially avoid the risk of a number of chronic and non-communicable diseases.

This program is in line with global experts and specialists’ recommendations, stressing the importance of adopting appropriate prevention measures, embracing healthy lifestyles and ensuring the early detection of chronic diseases to help stem their development into an incurable stage.

As part of the Ifhas program, a full clinical assessment of the health risks resulting from several chronic diseases is conducted, according to age and gender, along with a comprehensive clinical examination in line with the most important health challenges and needs in a number of primary health care centers in Abu Dhabi. These include Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) facilities, Mubadala Healthcare centers, Mediclinic Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, NMC and Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi.

Among the many advantages this program offers, is that it enables beneficiaries to familiarize themselves with their health status by receiving a detailed medical report with their examination results within 10 days of the testing date. This is supplemented with a detailed presentation of the report by the licensed medical centre where the examination took place.

Matar Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre, said: "The Ifhas program is one of the Abu Dhabi government’s strategic initiatives and has been launched in line with the vision of the nation’s leadership to provide world class healthcare and wellbeing initiatives to the Abu Dhabi community across preventative and curative healthcare.

“The program aims to provide Thiqa cardholders aged 18 and above with full medical assessments that ensure prevention and early detection. These examinations will further provide a holistic view of the current state of public health, across all segments of society, and will contribute to the development of preventative and curative health programs.”

Ifhas program introduced in several medical facilities

To ensure swift and easy participation, authorities have launched Ifhas for Thiqa cardholders aged 18 and above across a number of primary medical facilities in the emirate to facilitate access to the program. “I urge all Thiqa cardholders to benefit from Ifhas by taking the required tests and supporting both the UAE’s mission and ADPHC’s vision towards fostering a healthy and safe society,” said Al Nuami.

Dr Omniyat Al Hajri, Executive Director of the Community Health Sector at Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre said: “I urge citizens of the target group to get tested regularly to detect cardiovascular diseases and their associated risk factors. We advise all members of society to adopt a healthy lifestyle, make healthy food choices, engage in various physical activities, and avoid smoking and similar bad habits. Such initiatives will contribute to raising the quality of life for our community members."

Dr Anwar Sallam, Group Chief Medical Officer at Abu Dhabi Health Services Company – Seha, said: "This initiative will play a vital role in improving the health of many citizens and residents in the UAE and will prevent the onset of many serious and life-threatening conditions. Through our partnership with Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, we will be offering these tests at all 46 of our Seha clinics in the country and encourage everyone who is eligible to make the most of this service. Through the wide reach of our network, we are ensuring that everyone in the community has easy access to this potentially life-saving service as part of our on-going commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle for all."