SKMC launches the Employee Wellness Program during the World Heart Day

SKMC is owned and operated by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The Employee Wellness Program aims to raise awareness amongst the employees on cardiovascular risk factors. Free checkups of the cholesterol, blood glucose, blood pressure and Body Mass Index (BMI) were offered for the staff during the period from 27 September - 1 October 2009.

Moreover, Clinical Dieticians and Cardiac physicians were available for consultation after each employee had their test results. During the five day period, almost 460 employees participated in the screening and consultation program.

During the week, presentations and lectures targeting topics related to cardiac health were also available to all the staff. The topics of those health awareness talks included Global Risk of Cardiovascular Disease; Hypertension Risks & Prevention; Dyslipidemia & Obesity; Stress and Coronary Disease; Diabetes Mellitus; Coronary Artery Disease; and Smoking Cessation.

Sheila Douthwright, Section Head of Environment Health and Safety at SKMC stated,

"The Employee Wellness Program is new and will be fully developed in 2010. As a first initiative, World Heart Day was celebrated with this wellness initiative for employees aiming to perform a voluntary screening for modifiable risk factors (blood pressure, BMI, lipid profile, blood glucose, smoking) and to educate SKMC employees about the basics of cardiac health and modifiable risk factors where they can make changes. Moreover, we want to encourage and motivate SKMC employees to adopt a heart healthy lifestyle and modify or stop unhealthy habits such as overeating, smoking, and lack of exercise"

"The initial feedback from employees is very positive, with many staff indicating that they care for their patients on a daily basis and are pleased to now take pro-active steps to assess and improve their own health," Ms. Douthwright said.

Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, Head of Cardiology and Deputy Chief Medical Officer at SKMC said, "We spend a large amount of our waking hours at work. If we can promote healthy lifestyles to our employees at the work place, we can help in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in the UAE."

Dr. Samer Ellahham, Chief Quality Officer at SKMC commented, "SKMC leadership supports the Employee Wellness Program as a major initiative. The World Heart Day is only one of many initiatives and events we regularly mark and organize and our major goal is to encourage our staff to know and observe their BMI, blood pressure, lipids and glucose results and to apply a healthy lifestyle".