With an estimated $100 to $200 million being spent by the UAE annually on diabetes treatment, global healthcare groups have urged collaboration in ensuring the highest level of excellence in delivery of such specialised healthcare services.

The number of diabetes cases in the UAE, and rest of the region is very alarming and requires utmost attention from all concerned healthcare authorities and institutions, said a senior official of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on the sidelines of The Emirates Diabetes Congress (EDC) 2009.

Held in connection with the World Diabetes Day, EDC 2009 witnessed about 1,000 specialists and researchers in diabetes discuss diabetes-related issues affecting the UAE and the entire Middle East region.

"GSK has thrown its full support to the EDC as we intend to encourage all stakeholders in the healthcare industry to act proactively in the treatment and prevention of this dreaded disease," said Dr Abdelkader El-Hasnaoui, medical director for Middle East and North Africa region, GSK.

The EDC proved to be an excellent avenue for healthcare providers and institutions from the public and private sectors to promote and share best practices, present the latest innovations and create awareness about the emerging challenges and opportunities in the treatment and prevention of diabetes in the UAE and the Middle East region.

“It becomes ever more important for leading medical authorities on diabetes worldwide to come together more often to better understand, educate and impart relevant training to counter its spread and to develop new and improved ways to offer medical care to all those suffering from it,” said Dr Abdulrazzaq Ali Al Madani, the congress president.

The activities of the congress covered recent landmark clinical trials, evaluating efficacy and safety of existing and new treatment strategies and therapeutic options, he added.-TradeArabia News Service