About 1,000 residents in the Emirate of Dubai were screened within the first two months of the launch of Safe@Heart road show, which will continue until Feb 2013 across all primary health centres (PHC) and hospitals under Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

The DHA healthcare professionals have successfully screened 974 people, within the first two months of the launch of the campaign, a senior official said.

Dr Shawqi Khoori, CEO of Rashid Hospital, said, “So far, 120 people were screened at Nadd Al Hamar health centre, 125 at Al Khawaneej Health Centre, 137 at Al Badaa Health Centre, 175 at Dubai Hospital, 142 at Safa Health Centre, 75 at Al Mizhar and 200 at Rashid Hospital.”

“Healthcare professionals have conducted screening for both cholesterol and hypertension — two major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Once screened, participants also receive counselling from healthcare providers based on the results of their screening,” he added.

“In addition to the screening programme, the community members were also educated on lifestyle changes for a safe heart. Those people whose test results have showed higher than normal readings were provided with health counselling by the specialists at the DHA,” he said.

According to Dr Khoori, it’s essential for individuals to know their health status and this screening programme is a good guideline which not only helps in early detection of diseases but also ensures that an individual can modify his or her lifestyle to remain healthy.

“This is particularly important in today’s times where people lead a fast-paced life, do not exercise regularly and have easy access to high fat foods. We strongly believe that such awareness campaigns provide us this opportunity whereby we can reach out to a large number of people at one time and conduct screening and educational activities,” he elaborated.

The screening programme is a joint initiative of DHA in partnership with AstraZeneca Gulf and the Emirates Cardiac Society (ECS). The educational materials distributed at the campaigns contained critical information about heart health and ways to prevent cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

“We need to take action now and all sections of society need to play their role in raising awareness, especially through screening campaigns as they reach out to individuals directly and ultimately it is up to every individual to make necessary changes to their lifestyle to ensure they remain healthy,” opined Dr Fahad Baslaib, head of Cardiology Section at Rashid Hospital and President of the ECS.

“Although 80 per cent of CVDs are preventable, yet CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. It is the leading cause of death in the UAE. One in every four deaths in the UAE is caused by CVD,” he explained.

“The high prevalence of risk factors in our society, including diabetes, hypertension, smoking and sedentary lifestyles are the main causes of these alarming numbers,” Dr Baslaib pointed out.

“The Safe@Heart road show provides a personalised approach that can help participants take action for a healthier future,” he concluded.