Diabetes, heart disease cost country billions

Abu Dhabi spends at least Dh1 billion every year to treat diabetics who are young and who are very likely to suffer from heart disease in the near future, a study shows. A senior official from the Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) said yesterday that the study found 18 per cent of Abu Dhabi's Emirati population suffers from Type 2 diabetes and 24 per cent are "losing control of their sugar level" and will soon become diabetic. Dr Oliver Harrison, director of public policy at HAAD, said health care costs increase three to five times if a patient suffers from such complications. "It is a huge burden for the government and society, [as people lose their jobs because of the debilitating disease]," he said. Article continues below An emirate-wide screening of 210,000 people showed that a "cardiac time bomb is ticking", said the Dr Harrison. He said the screening showed that 98 per cent of the adults are also at risk for cardio-vascular diseases. Epidemic proportions The results of the screening were released yesterday on the sidelines of the Dubai Diabetes Congress. "This is not something others have brought here," said Dr Harrison about the diabetes epidemic. He noted that early intervention will save 3,000 Emirati lives and also that for a majority, the disease is preventable. Dr Harrison said HAAD is talking with Pepsico and Nestle to see how better foods can be made available to the people. He said a food regulator is in place and the target is to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables and reduce saturated fats in people's diets. He said people should be responsible for their health but creating awareness about the dangers of the disease alone was not enough. "People usually are on auto-pilot and do not make rational decisions on what to eat," he said, calling for other ways to influence people to eat healthy, such as pricing, labelling of foods or easier access to fruits and vegetables.