As many as 546 previously unmanaged local patients were examined in the UAE’s rural areas last year by top notch specialists thanks to the unique Win Over Diabetes (WOD) mobile clinic, said a top official.

A total of 11 undiscovered and 42 uncontrolled cases were found and 112 needing further consultation, according to the head of the Emirates Diabetes Society (EDS), Dr Abdul Razzaq Al Madani.

The WOD mobile clinic visited five rural clinics across the UAE in total, bringing comprehensive care, education and local community interaction.

“2012 saw many rural, residential areas covered with locals in the areas welcoming the mobile clinic, and participating in the screenings,” said Dr Al Madani.

“We have had an incredibly positive response, which has led us to initiate the service over 2013 in Abu Dhabi in collaboration with the Ambulatory Healthcare Service for the first half of the year, and introduce fundus testing for diabetes-related complications such as diabetic macular edema (DME) which can lead to unnecessary blindness in patients.”

DME, a complication of diabetes that causes fluid to accumulate in the central portion of the eye resulting in blurred vision, can lead to loss of sight and total blindness without adequate treatment, and can often occur without symptoms prior to vision loss.

In response to the high prevalence of diabetes in the local community, where access to specialised diabetes treatment is a challenge, the WOD clinic will visit nine Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) clinics in the Eastern region of Abu Dhabi, allowing endocrinologists specialists on board to carry out diabetes screening, provide examinations and consultations for diabetic patients, and provide wider medical education to physicians, patients and nurses, and streamline effective management of the disease through all care providers.

“Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in the country, and the complications resulting from it are very dangerous to individuals and a major challenge for the health care system,” said Dr Omar Jabri, chief medical officer, AHS.

“This campaign provides an opportunity to conduct preventive testing for diabetes patients, such as retinal testing for prevention of blindness, which is one of the most important complications of diabetes.

“This test should be performed on patients once they are diagnosed with diabetes and annually after that. This test is recommended by the medical academies for diabetics and the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi, and is a necessary and pleasing addition to the WOD clinic campaign.”

The day-trips allow specialists on board to carry out diabetes screening, provide examinations and consultations for diabetic patients, and provide wider medical education to physicians, patients and nurses in the area to aid effective management of the disease and also reduce the staggering rate of diabetes in the local population.

The mobile clinic is also fully equipped to provide screenings to the residents, which will involve blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid testing, together with the monitoring of other important vital signs.

The EDS AHS mobile clinic campaign in the first half of 2013 intends to cover nine remote clinics  UAE with specialist health care practitioners onboard making visits to the country’s many hospitals, healthcare clinics, and community centres.

The ‘Win Over Diabetes’ mobile clinic is a joint patient service initiative between the Emirates Diabetes Society and Swiss pharmaceutical company, Novartis. – TradeArabia News Service