2007
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Oman taps telemedicine
Muscat's Apollo Medical Center has set up its telemedicine service, the first in the country in partnership with India's Apollo Group of Hospitals, reported Gulf News. Oman is the 145th telemedicine center connected with Apollo Group.
Foot & mouth hits imports
The UAE has imposed temporary ban on import of all live cloven-hoofed animals and their products from the UK following appearance of cases of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) there, WAM reported. The action was in response to confirmed reports from the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, regarding infection of animals with FMD in the UK.
No aid for flood victims
Indian aid groups based in the UAE, such as the Valley of Love and the Indian Community Welfare Committee, have said they do not presently have the time or resources to assist those left homeless by the monsoon floods back home, reported Gulf News. Most organisations are focusing their efforts on repatriating illegal Indian workers who are taking advantage of a county-wide amnesty imposed by the UAE's Ministry of Labour.
UAE backs Avandia approval
UAE based doctors are pleased the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the continued availability of the diabetes drug Avandia after its safety was questioned by the New England Journal of Medicine, reported Gulf News. The publication said Avandia increased the risk of heart failure by 43% and the drug will now be sold with a strong warning. But several UAE based consultants plan to reduce their use of the drug.
Saudi HRC heat warning
Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission has urged public and private sector firms to make sure no labourers or construction workers are forced to work in the fierce midday heat, reported Arab News. Such practices violate the kingdom's labour laws and the workers' human rights, said the HRC. The city of Buraidah recorded a temperature of 65 degrees Celsius last week.
WRDC opens units
The UAE's Western Region Development Council, alongside the Healthcare Authority, have opened two kidney dialysis units and a natural physiotherapy unit at Sila Hospital, reported Gulf News. The units are now ready to treat patients with renal and orthopaedic problems. The facilities are part of the WRDC's drive to lift healthcare standards in the Western Region.
Needle-free diabetes treatment
Dubai-based pharmaceutical company Neobiocon, a joint venture of India's Biocon and Abu Dhabi-based Neopharma, is introducing oral and nasal insulin treatments to the country for the first time, Emirates Today reported. Diabetes sufferers in the UAE currently have to take regular insulin injections. The injection-free treatments are currently being developed by Biocon. They will be introduced into the UAE after clinical trials.
Hottest day hits UAE
The UAE experienced its hottest day of the year on Wednesday, with temperatures climbing to 47.4C in Al Ain, according to Gulf News. The mercury hit 46C in Abu Dhabi and 44C in Dubai. Forecasters are predicting more of the same over the next few days due to hot and dry southerly winds.
Heat cases lower in July
July has been relatively benign for heat exhaustion cases in Dubai, with only 16 received at the Rashid Trauma Centre, according to Gulf News. There is a ban on outdoor labouring work between 12.30pm and 3pm during July and August in the UAE. In June, 82 heat-related cases presented at the trauma centre.
Jordan ministers resign over water
Two Jordanian ministers resigned after contaminated water led to more than 1,000 people being hospitalised, Arab News reported. A government inquiry found that residents of a village near Mafraq had been infected with the cryptosporidium virus through the town's water supply, resulting in severe diarrhea and high fever. Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit told reporters that Water Minister Mohammad Al Alem and Health Minister Dr Saad Al Kharabsheh had resigned due to their 'moral obligation'.
Delta buys UK health firm
Qatar state-backed investment fund Three Delta has acquired UK health care provider Care Principles from 3i for $547m, The Independent reports. The acquisition gives the fund healthcare assets worth more than $6bn, and makes it one of the UK's largest private providers of care homes. Three Delta also owns the nursing home giant Four Seasons Healthcare.
Biocon, Neopharma form JV
Indian biotechnology firm Biocon and Abu Dhabi based pharmaceutical manufacturer Neopharma have set up NeoBiocon, a new joint venture to be based at the Dubai Biotechnology and Research Park. NeoBiocon will focus on developing biopharmaceutical niche products in key therapeutic areas such as oncology, diabetes, auto-immune disorders and cardiology.
Iraqis need aid
A study by Oxfam and a coalition of Iraqi NGOs has revealed that almost one third of Iraq's population needs immediate emergency aid, according to the BBC. The report said the Iraqi administration was failing to deliver food, water, sanitation and shelter for up to 8m people. It emphasised that the ongoing insurgency was drawing attention away from a chronic problem which had deteriorated since the US led invasion in 2003.
Expanded Taif hospital opens
The newly expanded Prince Mansour Military Hospital in Taif is to be opened on Tuesday, reported the Arab News citing the Saudi Press Agency. The facility started out as a small medical centre with ten beds in 1947 but it has now developed into a 224 bed complex after a series of expansions. The hospital has just undergone a recent upgrade, adding 74 new beds.
Vitamin pork extract worry
Dubai residents concerned that multi-vitamins they have purchased may contain gelatine made from pork have been advised to contact the Health Ministry which will look into the issue, reported Gulf News. Two brands, Natrol and Puritan's Pride, are under suspicion after their manufacturers stated the pills contain gelatine 'made from pork and beef'. UAE health laws ban the sale of products containing pig extracts on religious grounds.
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