The World Congress of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Health 2018 will kick off on Wednesday at the Dubai World Trade Centre to run until December 8 in collaboration with the Emirates Cardiac Society and the Gulf Heart Association.

Organised in partnership with the World Heart Federation, the congress is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

Dubai won the bid to host the event after competing with countries and cities that include Cape Town, Singapore and Korea.

The congress is a global interactive event that aims to promote cardiovascular health by uniting cardiovascular disease specialists with other disciplines to network, share knowledge and build innovative solutions for patients and populations.

Around 4,000 participants representing international organisations and bodies from around the world (such as the World Health Organisation, the European Society of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, African Heart Network, and Saudi Heart Association) are expected to attend the congress.

The congress's agenda includes more than 200 scientific sessions on cardiovascular disease and related diseases such as high cholesterol. Six hundred specialists are expected to take part in the conference where 1,000 scientific papers about the latest achievements and challenges in the field will be shared.

The World Congress of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Health 2018 will also provide an interactive programme designed to respond to the needs of professionals.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death across the world. According to some studies, heart attacks take place approximately ten years earlier in the Middle East than in many Western countries.

The cardiology department is the second-busiest unit in Rashid Hospital after the Emergency and Trauma Centre.

Dr Fahad Baslaib, consultant Cardiology, CEO of Rashid Hospital and congress president said winning the bid to host such an international congress reflects the medical achievements made by the DHA especially in cardiology and cardiovascular health, which are considered the leading cause of death worldwide.  

Dr Baslaib emphasised that the congress, which is considered the biggest event specialising in cardiology and cardiovascular health due to the international calibre of specialist attending, provides an ideal platform for decision makers in the health field to discuss how to achieve the objective set by the World Health Organisation to reduce the global rate of heart attacks by 2025. – TradeArabia News Service