Professional Practice & Communication 1
The UAE has a highly developed health care service including a sophisticated physical infrastructure with well-equipped hospitals, specialized clinics and primary health care centers. There has been a remarkable transformation in the health care system over the past forty years. But even with this splendid achievement, UAE still faces its own challenges like any other country. The decline of health in the general population through obesity and poor diets, have caused obesity with its complex ailments such as heart attacks and diabetes, this has pushed for a higher need in the medical field which has fallen short with medical staff causing a lack of trust in the minds of the people. (Colliers International, 2013).
The first problem is associated with the lack of hospital staff like doctors, nurses, etc. The increased need for doctors can be achieved either by attracting skilled professionals from abroad or by encouraging medical training in our own country. The high patient load will continue increasing, so the government has to be prepared to face this challenge. Also, people residing in this country are losing their trust in the health care provided here preferring to be treated in other developed countries. This points to the necessity of improving the standards of our health care system to rebuild trust in the minds of the people (Al-Hassani, 2012). With these changes being encouraged it is necessary to understand why they are needed and what type of care is prevalent.
Diabetes affects around 20% of the population, one in every four men is suffering from diabetes (El Sharkawy, 2013). Cardiac diseases, which are major cause of death at global and local levels, lead to death in one out four people in the UAE each year (Al Sadafy, 2011). Heart attacks in UAE twenty years ago were lower than the worldwide average. The average age of the first heart attack now is forty-five years old, while the global average is sixty-five years (El Sharkawy, 2013). Specialists will be needed in these fields to properly handle their needs in a way that will establish healthy and productive citizens.
All of these medical diagnoses are on the rise pointing to a change in lifestyle and culture. Identifying these problems and addressing the root of them may help to reverse this trend and improve the health of the nation. Historically speaking desert life used to be difficult and Arab tribesman were inevitably lean, but the socioeconomic transition of the past four decades fuelled by oil, has made life more sedentary (Global Health Observatory, 2014). This alone is not responsible for this dangerous change in health.
The UAE economy has ignited a new and challenging problems. Obesity is rising as sixty percent of the population is overweight, twenty percent are diagnosed with diabetes and thirty-eight percent of mortalities are from heart disease according to the World Health Organization (2014).
Some of the factors attributed to these increases in health problems are lack of exercise, lack of awareness and poor food choice (Medicine net, 2012). When coupled with the introduction of grain-based products that are often loaded with sugars and fats such as cookies, pastries and snack bars and lack of dietary knowledge overuse becomes standard. These are a sampling of the 893 new grain-based products introduced between November 1, 2009 and November 1, 2010 from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2011). Through dietary education in the school systems, including food served there, and education by doctors and nurses to their patients, only then will patients begin to change their dietary habits to improve their health.
With the change of lifestyle lack of exercise became another common cause leading to these health problems. Most people in the UAE changed their lifestyle from one in which there was more walking, physical labor and outdoor activities, to a sedentary lifestyle with little or no exercise (Sabri, Bener, Eapen, Abu Zeid, Al-Mazrouei and Singh, 2004). Again, this will mean a change in lifestyle choice where people will need to become more active in ways that will contribute positively to overall health. It is not enough to just try and exercise. One must understand how to properly apply the movements to get maximum benefit.
Development in technologies has taken over our health in numerous ways. Many children today prefer to sit and play video games or watch movies rather than going for an outdoor game, and the parents as well. Children have not been left out of the cycle as they are receiving high-sugar foods with artificial colors and additives which are even being sold in schools (World Health Organization, 2010). This means they are learning bad eating habits and are heading down the same path as their parents.
In conclusion, it’s seemed we will have to reassess our entire life style if we are to avoid the problems associated with obesity. Until people are made responsible and disciplined it is very difficult to reverse this problem, people should learn of the effects of poor diet and obesity. The government should implement some schemes or programs for weight reduction, which will not only be beneficial to individuals but also to the country as a whole. This is a great burden on our shoulders and we have to take responsibility.
The government should implement some more stringent rules and regulations in school lunches, proper food labeling and taking action on the best way to make people responsible, in both the business world and for the citizens. Regular monitoring of the health of citizens and proper treatment is of utter importance.
Children should not be entertained with any kind of junk food. Changes in advertising making people aware of products would be beneficial. A healthy youth will produce future healthy adults. There should be more provisions for medical education not only at an under-graduate level but also in all the fields of specialization.
The health care system, no matter how much it tries to develop, it will still be considered a failure if a doctor fails to treat an illness. The actual development of the country is reflected in the health of its citizens.
References
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (2011, June). In International markets bureau. Retrieved November 21, 2014 from http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/market-prices-and-statistics/trade-statistics/pubs/middle_east_grain_products_en.pdf
Al Hassani, Z. (2012, March 29). Emirati doctor shortage 'leads to lack of trust' The national. Retrieved October 3, 2014, from http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/health/emirati-doctor-shortage-leads-to-lack-of-trust
Al Sadafy, M. (2011). Heart disease kills one in four people in UAE. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.emirates247.com/lifestyle/heart-disease-kills-one-in-four-people-in-uae-2011-10-25-1.425152
Broomhall, E. (2011). Doctors' salaries to jump as competition heats up. Retrieved October 21, 2013, from http://www.arabianbusiness.com/doctors-salaries-jump-as-competition-heats-up-432482.html#.UmUygVDIbPI
Colliers International. (2013, Q4). In Healthcare overview. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.colliers.com/-/media/Files/EMEA/UAE/Market-Overview/UAE-Healthcare-Overview-Q4-2013.pdf
El Sharkawy, T. Diabetes in the United Arab Emirates and Other Arab Countries, Genetic disorders in the Arab world, pg 75. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.cags.org.ae/cbc07db.pdf
Medicine net. Definition of chronic disease. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33490
Sabri, S., Bener, A., Eapen, V., Abu Zeid, M., Al-Mazrouei, M and Singh, J. (2004). Some risk factors for hypertension in the United Arab Emirates. Eastern Mediterranean health journal, 10:610-619.Retrieved October 21, 2013 fromhttp://www.emro.who.int/emhj-list/emhj-volume-10-2004/vol10-issue45.html
World Health Organization. (2010, February). In Bulletin of the World Health Organization. Retrieved November 21, 2014, from http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/2/10-020210/en/
World Health Organization. (2014, May). In Country cooperation strategy at a glance. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/ccsbrief_are_en.pdf.
