Al Jalila Foundation, a global healthcare philanthropic organisation, has urged business leaders to back medical research to help combat the UAE’s biggest killer, the heart disease.

Dr Abdulkareem, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “The UAE statistics on heart disease are terrifying.  We need to act and to change. World Heart Day reminds us that one of the most important investments our country can make is in medical research. To achieve a thriving medical research sector, we rely on the goodwill, influence and financial capability of business leaders and philanthropists. Every dirham makes a difference and every dirham raised goes directly towards our programmes advancing medical education and research for the UAE and its people.”

He added: “Al Jalila Foundation is building a state-of-the-art medical research centre.  This is a game changer and we are cultivating scientists right here in the UAE.”

Professor Sehamuddin Galadari, professor of biochemistry and molecular cell biology and academic and research advisor of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “Cardiovascular disease is the world’s leading cause of death, claiming about 17.3 million lives a year and about 30 per cent of deaths worldwide. It is also the number one killer in the UAE.  Our aim at Al Jalila Foundation is to find tomorrow’s cures through long-term investment in the development of bio-medical scientists and medical research infrastructure. We are in the final stages of assessing a significant number of seed grant applications for which the foundation has dedicated Dh8 million ($2.1 million) for 2014.”

According to Dubai Health Authority, the average age for a first heart attack in the UAE is around 45 years, compared to 65 years globally, and one in every five deaths in Dubai is attributable to cardiovascular disease, making it the leading cause of death in the Emirate. Currently, 66 per cent of UAE national males and 63.5 per cent of UAE national females, aged 60 and above, have preventable cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and are smokers.

Al Jalila Foundation is committed to deliver on the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the UAE into one of the leading countries in the world through positioning the country as a global hub for medical research.

On 12 August 2014, Emaar Properties, the global property developer, donated Dh10 million ($2.7 million) to support Al Jalila Foundation’s research programmes dedicated to cardiovascular disease.  – TradeArabia News Service