ASTER Wellness Month creates awareness on preventive healthcare in the UAE

The campaign concluded recently, reaching out to a large number of people to address health issues, and emphasize on the importance of preventive healthcare and self-awareness to the people in the UAE.

Kiosks were set up by ASTER at the malls and public places throughout the month of December where people were given valuable information and educational material on health issues.

The kiosks were also used as a means to communicate the importance of road safety and basic life support training among people, as part of DM Healthcare's ongoing Safety Tips for Road Accident Prevention (STRAP) and Be Empathetic, Act Timely (BEAT) campaigns. These campaigns were recently launched by DM Healthcare in association with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services (DCAS) and Road and Transport Authority (RTA).

Commenting on the Aster Wellness Month, Padma Shri Dr. Azad Moopen, Chairman, DM Healthcare, said: "We are pleased with the huge response we have received through our health awareness drive. We are deeply grateful for the support of the Ministry of Health, which helped us reach out to a large number of people and spread wide-spread awareness on preventive healthcare and important health issues.It is an ongoing effort of ours, at DM Healthcare, to highlight the importance of self-awareness on health issues among people. We believe that preventive healthcare is the route to good health and wellbeing."

Taking a pro-active step towards promoting preventive healthcare, educational material was distributed and interactive quizzes were conducted on various health issues as part of the ASTER Wellness Month. The initiative involved free medical screening camps which were set up to offer blood sugar and blood pressure tests to people. More than 11,330 people were given free screenings during the month-long initiative.

Commenting on the Aster Wellness Month representative from the Health Education and Promotion Department, Ministry of Health, said, "We are pleased that the Aster Wellness Month was successful in spreading awareness on preventive healthcare to a large number of people.
Self-awareness about health issues goes a long way in early detection and control of life-threatening diseases and general health issues as well. It is a key element in creating an overall healthy society. We are happy that this initiative by DM Healthcare was able to reach to a large number of residents making them more aware about their health."

The campaign was in line with Aster's Community Good Health Program (CGHP). The campaign began on November 14, 2012, coinciding with World Diabetes Day, which is one of the prime health issue and concerns in the UAE. It was held in over twelve malls in the UAE, including Ibn Batuta Mall, Lamcy Plaza, Al Khail Mall, Grand Mall and Safeer Mall, and leading hypermarkets including Lulu Hypermarket, Union Co-operative Society, KM Trading and Nesto Supermarket.

A team of more than 200 medical professionals from ASTER were actively involved in spreading the message of preventive healthcare as part of this initiative.

The ASTER Awareness Month was organized as part of DM Healthcare's recently concluded Silver Jubilee celebrations, falling under the ASTER Community Good Health Programme (CGHP).