The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), a worldwide organisation dedicated to fighting osteoporosis, is set to hold its  meetings in Abu Dhabi next year and in 2019.

The third and fifth Middle East and Africa Osteoporosis Meetings will be held in the capital as a result of a two-year deal between IOF and Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, a division of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (Adnec).

The events, which will be held in December 2015 and December 2019, will bring around 1,500 scientists, physicians, patient, medical societies and corporate partners from across the UAE, GCC, wider Middle East and Africa.

The meetings are aimed at advancing understanding of osteoporosis and promoting worldwide awareness, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Judy Stenmark, chief executive officer, IOF, said: “These meetings are the largest and most influential bone events in the region. We chose Abu Dhabi as host because of its ability to galvanise all destination stakeholders in delivering the support necessary for the success of the conferences and for its over-riding commitment to excellence in healthcare.

“These particular conferences will have a wider impact on the focus being put on osteoporosis in the region. In some Middle East countries, the disease is expected to result in the quadrupling of hip fractures by 2050 and attention to the dilemma needs to be paid now.

“Osteoporosis is a disease which largely affects the ageing and with demographic predictions anticipating that the Middle East will have 25 per cent of its population over the age of 50 by 2020, and that this will rise to 40 per cent by 2050, it is faced with a considerable challenge which will be addressed in these meetings.”

Mubarak Al Shamisi, director of Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, said: “We currently have a strong case for conventions in terms of excellent facilities and support and highly competitive room rates.

“We are aggressively bidding for large scale meetings business because of the returns they deliver in terms of economic impact and socio-economic progression. The healthcare field is one in which we believe we have a strong case to pursue because of the government’s commitment to delivering services of the highest possible standards in both research and treatment.” - TradeArabia News Service