By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Qatar’s efforts to fight diabetes has got a major boost with the launch of an innovative diabetes clinic at Al Wakrah Health Centre.
The pilot project comes as a local outcome of World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF).
Known as Smart Clinic, it is designed to improve the health and well-being of people through the delivery of high-quality, efficient care for those who suffer from, or are at risk of, developing diabetes, officials told a press conference yesterday.
At present the programme is open only to the nationals. Using a combination of data analytics and a risk-based screening, it identifies those with known diabetes risk factors and invites these high-risk patients to the Smart Clinic for voluntary screening.
The clinic, which opened last January, offers integrated care for those in need, through a specialised team that includes a physician, nurse, health educator and a dietician.
By the end of last month, more than 3,000 people had been invited for screening and nearly 1,000 tested for diabetes. Of them, 123 patients were identified as pre-diabetic and 20 diagnosed with the disease.
The clinic’s implementation was accomplished in cooperation with Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and followed a 2013 WISH report and recommendation on Accountable Care.
“The overall aim of the project was achieved successfully and its results will be reviewed over the coming months regularly.
“Once completed, the programme will be taken to other health centres, maybe, next year. However, at present, it is open only to the nationals,” said Dr Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director, PHCC.
“The programme aims at early detection of diabetics and risk factors associated with diabetes. Patients registered at Al Wakrah Hospital are invited for screening at the clinic,” she added.
The final report of the Smart Clinic, along with other research projects, will be presented at 2016 WISH Summit to be held on November 29 and 30 in Doha.
The evidence-based research will highlight and put forth policy recommendations on seven key topics.
The topics include accountable care; autism; behavioural insights; cardiovascular disease; economic benefits of investing in health; healthy populations; and precision medicine.
Professor Lord Ara Darzi, Executive Chair, WISH, said, “The WISH Midterm Summit is an opportunity for us to convene our global community around healthcare issues that really matter.
“It’s a prelude to our summit in November. This year we are focusing on topics that resonate around the world — and in Qatar — as we continue to create evidence-based research that offers policymakers practical solutions designed to create change,” he added.The Peninsula
