'Marathon Medics' run Dubai race for cause

To be held on January 16, DBAJ doctors will run the 10KM Marathon in support of the outreach programme of the Foundation, which was launched by Dubai Bone & Joint Center, under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain to help underprivileged arthritis patients avail of subsidized or free treatments.

The objective behind the participation is to increase public awareness about the various activities of the Foundation.

Since its establishment, DBAJ has been actively supporting the Emirates Arthritis Foundation. Both Suzanne el Houby, Vice President and Dr. Humeira Badsha, Specialist Rheumatologist are founding members of the Foundation, and as such have provided valuable support and direction in steering the Foundation to become an effective platform for addressing musculoskeletal illnesses in the UAE.

Suzanne el Houby, Vice President, DBAJ, said:

"Part of our mandate as the premier center for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases in the UAE is to support organizations and groups with whom we have shared visions and advocacies. The Emirates Arthritis Foundation has been instrumental in raising awareness, helping patients with musculoskeletal illnesses to have a better quality of life, and plays a key role in helping address this growing health menace through different advocacy programs."

DBAJ doctors - some of them specialists in sports medicine - will also take the opportunity to raise awareness about engaging in healthy and active lifestyles as a way of avoiding a number of musculoskeletal illnesses.

"Dubai Marathon is a high profile sports event and we see the race as a perfect opportunity to encourage people to adopt more active lifestyles as a preventive step against many simple musculoskeletal problems such as back pain, among others," said Dr. William Murrell, a sports medicine expert and a speaker at the Orthopaedic Conference of the Arab Health congress that will be held in Dubai later this month.

"Musculoskeletal conditions affect hundreds of millions of people all over the world, at a huge cost to society. In the Middle East alone, there are thousands of people who are afflicted with some form of musculoskeletal ailment. However, there is a general lack of awareness about arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases in the region. We are grateful for the support that DBAJ has been extending to us on so many levels, and we hope that their generosity will be shared by other companies in the private sector," said Cathy Leibman, Director of the Emirates Arthritis Foundation.

Participating doctors include Dr. Maarten Spruit, Dr. Mike Van Steijn, Dr. Rajesh Shah, and Dr. William Murrell.