Mubadara, the corporate responsibility (CR) unit of Dubai Properties Group has joined hands with UAE Genetic Diseases Association (UAE-GDA) to boost the national health campaign ‘Emirates Free of Thalassemia 2012.’

It is the first project of the UAE-GDA to raise awareness on Thalassemia and tackle public health concerns and related issues for creating a healthy community.

A member of Dubai Holding, Dubai Properties Group, recently held a voluntary blood screening drive for its employees to test against commonly inherited blood disorders prevalent in the UAE, aiming to raise awareness on general health risks.

Fareda Abdullah, executive director of Human Capital at DPG, said: “Contributing towards the welfare of our employees and the UAE at large is one of the key pillars in Mubadara’s CR initiatives."

"We organized an internal blood screening drive to educate our employees about the risks of genetic blood disorders, as we believe self-awareness is the first step towards eliminating diseases."

"We also seek to endorse the enormous efforts invested by the UAE- GDA in its fight against Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anaemia."

Thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by defective production of hemoglobin, leading to low production and over-destruction of red blood cells.

The clinical severity of Thalassemia varies greatly depending on the exact nature of the genes that a person inherits. The severe type of Thalassemia is terrible and debilitating disorder to live with.

Executive director Dr Maryam Matar said the UAE-GDA had been able to considerably reduce the impact of common genetic disorders prevalent in the country through its community outreach programmes, health education, counselling and free screening tests.

Mohamed Binbrek, CEO, Dubai Properties Group, said the company will always endeavor to take on the best actions for its employees both professionally and personally, in its efforts to be a responsible member of the community."-TradeArabia News Service