Rashid centre helps diabetes patients

Kati'a Tarif, a 68-year-old diabetic who used to be confined to a wheelchair, can now move freely and even drive. Tarif arrived at the Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research in Ajman unable to walk due to the amputation of his foot. His condition was worsening until he started visiting the centre and receiving appropriate treatment. Tarif's story is one of the centre's many success stories since it opened a little over a year ago in Shaikh Khalifa Hospital. Article continues below The centre is a UAE Ministry of Health facility managed by Global Health Partner, a Swedish organisation with experience in developing and promoting specialised services. The centre is divided into different departments, including a diabetes clinic, a lifestyle clinic, a foot clinic and an eye clinic. The centre also has a fully equipped laboratory ranked as number one in the UAE and fifth out of 725 internationally. Case load The centre receives cases from various health departments in the country. It caters mainly to those who face complications or are unable to control diabetes. The centre has registered 1,600 cases in the past 12 months. CEO Jonas Wohlin said that according to a report released by the centre, the number of diabetics visiting in the first month it was open was 116, which dramatically increased once affiliated clinics started referrals. He said 6 per cent of the patients registered with the centre have Type 1 diabetes while 90 per cent of them are Type 2 patients. Some 4 per cent of patients have been diagnosed in the early stages of diabetes. Wohlin said the report also showed that 605 patients transferred to the centre suffer from lack of control of their blood pressure. However, after treatment and follow up at the centre for six months, more than 55 per cent of them achieved the goal of gaining control. Dr Gassan Darwish, Chief Marketing Officer at the centre, said the diabetes foot clinic was established to attend to cases which face foot complications due to diabetes. The clinic works to treat and prevent these from recurring or leading to other complications. He said none of the patients referred to the clinic so far have had to have a complete amputation. Complication Salem Khamis Al Naqbi, 54, a diabetic who has retired, suffered a small injury in his foot which developed into a major complication and he was on the verge of having it amputated. "After visiting several doctors in different places, I came to this clinic, got treatment and avoided amputation," he said. Mohammad Shihab, a 36-year-old from Ajman, said his foot was slightly injured but developed into a severe injury due to his diabetes. "I started visiting the centre in November after a doctor in one of the private clinics decided to amputate my foot.