Head of the UAE Heart Division, Dr. Abdulla Shehab, has unveiled a plan to establish a specialized research center on all heart diseases in the country, in order to unite the scattered efforts in the field of research, especially with the high incidence of cardiovascular disease in the country.
In a press statement on the sidelines of the World Heart Conference, Shehab explained that the number of catheterizations performed annually in the state hospitals is more than 20,000, of various types, while the number of open heart operations is about 1,000, pointing out that catheterization is now Make up about 75% of heart operations.
He pointed out that there are 45 catheter centers in the public and private sectors in the country, stressing that this number is expected to increase, especially as the state enters the arena of competition in health tourism and attracting hospitals and centers to hundreds of cases from outside the country annually. Shehab pointed out that the number of Emirati heart surgeons currently 20 doctors, distributed in the operations of catheterization and open heart, in addition to 20 doctors are currently under training, including 10 outside the country, and 10 within the country. About 50% of the country's population does not follow a healthy lifestyle, although they are aware of the importance of preventing them from heart disease, while 30 to 40% do not know the causes of heart disease and do not care about a healthy lifestyle.
He warned of the exacerbation of vascular disease due to increased rates of diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, in addition to the phenomenon of smoking. "Cardiovascular disease has caused more than 25 percent of all deaths in the country, according to official statistics, and the overall state-level ratio is likely to be higher because of the quality of services and advanced healthcare in Abu Dhabi," he said.
Shihab said that despite the progress of the UAE in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, but must intensify campaigns to raise awareness of the causes of these diseases to take appropriate preventive campaigns to address cardiovascular disease, which is often a change in lifestyle and exercise.