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Gastric surgery soars in UAE
Doctors have reported a soaring number of people turning to gastric surgery in order to lose weight, The National has reported. Increases of up to 500% have been noted and doctors have said they are operating on patients as young as 12. Health experts fear the surgery may become a quick fix for some people and want national guidelines to regulate who can perform the surgery and who should be treated. The surgery could cost more than Dhs50,000. The report also revealed that some insurance plans with high premiums in the UAE cover bariatric surgery, such as Thiqa, the national health insurance programme for Emiratis, many providers do not include it from their policies, as often it is labeled as cosmetic.
Emaar Healthcare Group expands in Dubai
Emaar Healthcare Group, a subsidiary of Emaar Properties, has said it plans to open new facilities in Downtown Burj Dubai, Arabian Ranches and The Meadows. The Downtown Burj Dubai Medical Centre, which opens later this year, will be the company's flagship healthcare facility, providing a full range of primary patient care specialties within an out-patient facility, and will also offer advanced services in diagnostic imaging with on-site laboratory facilities. The opening of Downtown Burj Dubai Medical Centre, a multi-speciality outpatient centre, and the community clinics, will mark the start of a patient referral network which will later be supported by a secondary care hospital.
All UAE pupils to get swine flu vaccine
The UAE's Ministry of Health has announced that more than 600,000 schoolchildren are to be inoculated against swine flu once the vaccine is ready, which is expected to be by late September, The National has reported. Vaccination against the H1N1 virus will be mandatory for all public and private schoolchildren aged five and up, the ministry said.
UAE Ministry denies H1N1 certificate reports
The UAE Ministry of Health has denied reports that expatriates returning to the UAE and displaying flu symptoms would have to produce a medical clearance certificate proving that they are not infected with H1N1 virus, Wam news agency has reported. Dr. Ali bin Shuker, Director of the Ministry of Health and Chairman of the Technical Health Committee for Combating Swine Flu said that the reports were 'untrue', and also denied that a decision had been taken to equip shopping malls in the country with thermal scanners.
Expats returning to UAE 'must show medical certificate', says report
UAE expatriates on vacation abroad will have to produce a medical certificate that proves they are not infected with H1N1 virus before returning to the country, Gulf News has reported, citing an unnamed source from the National Committee for Combating Swine Flu. The move will be implemented from August, the source said. 'Without this certificate, any person with swine flu symptoms will be prohibited from entering the country. Accordingly, any company or establishment will have the right to cancel sponsorship, if the worker conceals an infection intentionally,' the daily quoted the source as saying.
Saudi reports first death from swine flu
A 30-year-old man in Saudi Arabia died on Saturday from H1N1 flu after being admitted to a private medical centre in Dammam, Reuters has reported. The death is the first in the kingdom from the new H1N1 flu. About 300 cases of the virus have been reported so far in Saudi Arabia, raising fears the pandemic could hit the pilgrimage seasons in September and November.
Kuwait reports 21 new H1N1 cases
Kuwait's Ministry of Health has reported 21 new swine flu cases, taking the country's total number of registered A (H1N1) virus patients up to 94, KUNA has reported. The new cases, which have arrived from Jeddah, Dubai, Egypt and Singapore, have tested positive for the virus and are now receiving necessary medication at the Hospital of Infectious Diseases, the ministry said. All those who had close contact with the new cases are also to be tested as a precautionary measure in line with World Health Organization (WHO) requirements, the ministry added.
Jordan flu vaccine to be delayed
Jordan's Ministry of Health has said that due to a lengthy order list and intense demand for the vaccine, the kingdom may not receive the first batch of swine flu vaccine until January of next year, not September as previously announced, the Jordan Times has reported. A January shipment would mean that the vaccine would not be available ahead of Hajj season, during which officials had previously expressed hope to vaccinate 15% of the population, particularly pilgrims.
Royale Hayat inks IVF deal
Royale Hayat Hosptial (RHH) of Kuwait has signed an agreement with Belgium's Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel hospital (UZ Brussel) to open a fertility clinic in Kuwait which will also serve as an education centre for in vitro fertilization (IVF) in the Middle East, according to the Kuna agency. UZ Brussel will shortly be sending a three-member team of specialists to educate and train the personnel and set up the centre in RHH Kuwait, the report said.
Haj ban agreed over flu fears
Health officials in the UAE and other Arab states have agreed that people below 12 or older than 65 and those with chronic illnesses will not be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia on pilgrimage, The National has reported. The decision was made at an emergency meeting held in Cairo because of fears over swine flu. The meeting was organised by the World Health Organisation's regional office, involving representatives of the 22 Arab League states. The agreement still needs to be ratified by the respective governments.
Bahrain announces 5 new H1N1 cases
Bahrain's Health Ministry has said it has registered five new swine flu cases following the examination of 19 people suspected of having the virus. Three of the five cases are of a single Bahraini family who came from Dubai on July 16, the fourth case was a four-year-old Bahraini child who returned from Malaysia on July 17, and the fifth case was a 33-year-old Indonesian woman, the ministry has said.
UAE steps up measures to tackle H1N1
Hospitals in the UAE lack the manpower to handle the number of H1N1 cases they are seeing, an official from National Committee for Combatting Swine Flu has warned. The official said hospitals have been receiving on average two cases daily for the past two months. The UAE announced urgent steps on Tuesday to tackle the virus, including setting up thermal scanners at malls and mooted giving companies the right to cancel the residence visas of employees who contract it abroad. Companies are also being advised to grant two weeks' leave to employees who return to the UAE and show symptoms.
UAE issues warning on 'natural' diet pills
UAE doctors have warned that weight-loss products marketed as herbal and natural may contain dangerous chemicals and should not be taken without medical advice, The National has reported. The country's Ministry of Health has said it was tightening up licensing and registration rules to ensure quality control of the products sold on UAE shelves, and a comprehensive list of herbal medicines would be drawn up and revised every three months.
Kuwait reports 8 new swine flu cases coming from Ummra
Kuwait's Health Ministry has announced eight new swine flu cases of Kuwaiti citizens who returned from Ummra, raising the number of registered cases of the A (H1N1) virus to 44, KUNA has reported. Laboratory tests showed that the cases, including six females, were infected with the virus but are in a stable condition and would be treated in the Infectious Diseases Hospital, the ministry has said.
UAE to develop national anti-H1N1 plan
The UAE is planning to issue a mandatory national emergency blueprint for H1N1 virus, a senior health official said on Monday. 'The action plan will be binding for all stakeholders meant to combat the disease... the document is part of a development process of the national comprehensive strategy in line with Gulf and Arab plans,' Dr Ali Bin Shaker, head of the technical health committee on combating the disease, was quoted as saying by state news agency WAM. He said a task force, mainly set up for that purpose, would convene next Sunday to explore the best mechanisms for drafting the plan and its implementation.
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