Ford Warriors in Pink supports new breast cancer awareness initiative to encourage regular check-ups
Dubai, UAE, 20 September, 2015: Zulekha Hospital, a pioneer in UAE healthcare, is launching a new campaign to celebrate breast cancer awareness month in October by offering women free consultations and mammograms.
The ‘Pink It Now’ campaign has been developed by Zulekha Hospital with the active support of Ford Warriors in Pink, a Ford Motor Company breast cancer awareness initiative and will be rolled out at both hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah. Dubai Islamic Bank will also be supporting the event.
Running from the start to the end of October, the campaign will form part of the worldwide initiative dedicated to building awareness, educating women on breast cancer and empowering them to beat the disease.
Targeting women specifically over the age of 40, women can take advantage of free specialist consultations by Oncologists and surgeons as well as receive a free mammogram.
Zanubia Shams, CEO of Zulekha Hospital, said: “Many women tend to think that breast cancer cannot happen to them, and as a result develop a false sense of security about their risks for developing the disease. The main message behind this campaign is to educate and remind women of the importance of regular testing.”
According to Dubai Health Authority, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the leading cancer in the UAE, accounting for a quarter of all cancers. Projected cases for breast cancer in the UAE, based on population growth and the current incidence, is expected to increase to 600 cases by 2020 and 1,000 cases by 2030.
“Ford is proud of its 21-year support of breast cancer awareness, and has dedicated more than $120 million to the cause to date,” said Sue Nigoghossian, General Manager of Communications at Ford Middle East and North Africa. “Our commitment runs well beyond raising funds. We know that awareness leads to early detection and early detection saves lives, so our efforts are also centered around raising breast cancer awareness, and Ford is very much committed to this.”
“The new ‘Pink It Now’ campaign is a great local initiative to encourage women in the UAE to take responsibility for getting screened and checked,” Nigoghossian added. “We’re supporting Zulekha Hospital with this cause because it has a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of women in our community.”
Research suggests that breast cancer appears in Arab women on average 10 years earlier than women in Europe. While it is more common in women over 40 years of age and those with a strong family history of the disease, breast cancer can affect women regardless of their age, ethnicity, genetics or reproductive history.
Dr Pamela Munster, a professor at the Department of Medicine (Haematology/Oncology) and Director of Early Drug Development and Breast Cancer will officially launch the new ‘Pink It Now’ campaign at an invitation-only event on 4 October, alongside her colleague Dr. Hani Sbitany, Assistant Professor of Surgery Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery from the University of California in San Francisco. Mrs. Neeta Bhushan, Deputy Chief of Mission & Head of Chancery (DCM), Embassy of India, will also be attending as guest of honour.
Dr Munster said: “I am pleased to be coming to the UAE to raise awareness on this issue because it’s something which affects so many women. The key to preventing the risk of breast cancer is through regular check-ups as the disease can be cured if diagnosed early. It is important, therefore, that these kinds of campaigns encourage women to take the necessary steps towards early detection.”
As part of the campaign, Zulekha Hospital will also launch a selfie competition for the month of October to encourage individuals to support breast cancer awareness month. The competition details and prizes will be announced on the hospital’s Facebook page at the end of September.
]]>VIP service provides patients with free parking, Wi-Fi, and refreshments at Dubai and Sharjah hospitals
Dubai, UAE, 9 September, 2015: Patients at Zulekha Hospital in Dubai and Sharjah now have the opportunity to experience a new fast-track service to make their doctor’s appointments easier and more convenient.
The multi-disciplinary, award winning hospitals have introduced the premium service fast-track lounge to offer patients a speedier appointment and 30 minute consultations.
The one stop shop fast-track lounge provides appointment slip generation, payments, insurance approvals, doctor’s consultation, sample collection and medication dispatching all in the same dedicated area and patients also have access to free Wi-Fi and refreshments.
“The new fast-track service was implemented in response to feedback from our patients and has been very well received so far. We’re giving the community a choice in their treatment services and this new option makes life easier for those with especially busy schedules,” said Zanubia Shams, CEO of Zulekha Hospital.
“We’re always looking to go that extra step to take the best possible care of our patients and we hope we can satisfy all of their needs through the introduction of our new fast-track service.”
Fast-track patients are monitored by a dedicated coordinator who liaises with doctors and other healthcare professionals to make sure the process is up to speed and being handled timely and efficiently.
One of the forerunners in UAE healthcare, Zulekha Hospital has earned widespread recognition for service to patients, collecting the Dubai Quality Award twice in the last four years.
]]>Private hospital affiliated with American Heart Association to provide emergency life-saving courses
Dubai, UAE, 20 July, 2015: Zulekha Hospital is the first private hospital in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates to be affiliated with the American Heart Association as an international Life Support Training Centre.
The accreditation means the multidisciplinary hospital is authorised to conduct the official Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care courses to UAE healthcare professionals and those in the community who wish to develop lifesaving skills.
Eight high quality CPR and ECC courses are now available at the hospital, including Basic Life Support, Paediatric Advanced Life Support and a Neonatal Resuscitation Programme.
The courses will be delivered by the Life Support Training Team at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah, which includes physicians, nurses, paramedics and other experienced practitioners who have all received specialised training from the American Heart Association.
“We have set our standards exceptionally high by becoming the first training centre of this kind in our market,” said Zanubia Shams, CEO of Zulekha Hospital.
“Our Life Support Training Team worked incredibly hard with our colleagues at the American Heart Association and this accreditation means that we can now deliver the very best CPR and ECC courses. It will make a difference to other healthcare workers in the UAE as well as to community members who have responsibilities for the care of others in their day to day lives.”
The courses are taught in a variety of different ways from an instructor-led, classroom-based or video-based approach to participants studying materials 30 days prior to attending a programme. Each course provides accredited certification and a range of hours contributed to the participants’ Continuing Medical Education (CME) awarded by the UAE’s Ministry of Health.
The Heartsaver® First Aid course is open to anyone with limited or no medical training, who requires a completion course in first aid to meet job or regulatory requirements. The classroom-based programme teaches students how to respond and manage an emergency within the first few minutes until medical services arrive, learning skills such as how to treat bleeding, sprains, broken bones, shock and other emergencies.
The eight Life Support Training programmes offered at Zulekha Hospital Sharjah are:
- Basic Life Support
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
- Paediatric Advanced Life Support
- Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED
- Heartsaver® First Aid
- Heartsaver® CPR AED
- Electrocardiogram and Pharmacology
- Neonatal Resuscitation Programme
For more information on the CPR and ECC courses available and to register, visit www.zulekhahospitals.com or email lstc@zulekhahospitals.com.
]]>Dubai First and Dubai Ladies Club back initiative to encourage regular checks; women offered free specialist consultations, Pap tests
Dubai, UAE, 18 May, 2015: Zulekha Hospital, a pioneer in UAE healthcare, is spearheading a new cervical cancer screening and prevention initiative to help reduce the incidence of the disease and save lives across the Emirates.
The ‘Smear, Don’t Fear’ campaign has been developed by Zulekha Hospital with the active support of the Dubai Ladies Club and leading consumer finance company Dubai First as part of their CSR support targeting women between the age group of 35-65 years.
While this is the high-risk group, cervical cancer can affect anyone over 25 years and the risk of the disease, as well as the importance of regular checks for early detection were highlighted at today’s official launch press conference by eminent doctors and cancer campaigners.
They included Dr Pamela Munster, renowned cancer expert from the University of California in San Francisco, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading universities in health sciences; Dr. Layla Mohamed Al Marzouqi, Director of DHA Health Regulation and Dubai Medical Tourism Project; Huda Abdalla, Board Member of Dubai First & Chairman of Women Advisory Committee ; Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, Director of Dubai Ladies Club; and Zanubia Shams, CEO of Zulekha Hospital, along with leading gynaecology specialists from Zulekha Hospital.
“The key message of the new campaign is to remind young professionals of the importance of smear tests and show that together we can help prevent cervical cancer if the disease is identified at an early stage,” said Zanubia Shams.
The prime objective behind the new initiative is to educate women about the symptoms, risks and prevention of the second most common cancer affecting hundreds of thousands worldwide, as more than 92% of those diagnosed in the early stages can be successfully cured.
From now until 31 August, women can take advantage of free specialist consultations and Pap tests at Zulekha Hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah.
As part of a larger and ongoing outreach initiative, men are encouraged to support or even accompany their female friends and family members to the clinics when the women are tested for the HPV virus which can cause cervical cancer. The campaign also urges everyone to wear a cervical cancer campaign ribbon to show support and help create awareness about the disease.
Dr Pamela Munster said: “Early detection means it is possible for the majority of cases to be cured, and we want to also help to remove the stigma that is sometimes associated with the disease as it only impacts sexually active women. Our goal is encourage women to have regular checks at their local clinic at least every three to five years.”
The long-term goal of the campaign is to implement a population-wide vaccination drive to permanently rid the UAE of cervical cancer. Since women do not report any noticeable symptoms until after the cancer has invaded the surrounding organs or spread to the lungs, detecting the virus early is crucial.
Speaking at the campaign launch Ms. Huda Abdalla, said, “This is a fantastic initiative and Dubai First is delighted to be associated with Zulekha Hospital for this noble cause. Awareness campaigns play a vital role in educating women about the success rate of early detection of cancer. We will be working closely with Zulekha Hospital to ensure that this is a long-term initiative that generates a real impact on women and families across the UAE, which complements our CSR programme and efforts to contribute to the community.”
Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, commented: “Women tend to ignore their health, which is why Dubai Ladies Club has always been committed to helping raise awareness about the importance of regular health exams and tests that can help find problems before they start.
“By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. We are delighted to support this initiative by Zulekha Hospital that is making our community a healthier place.”
Dr. Layla Mohamed Al Marzouqi, said: “Awareness about cervical cancer is critical for early detection and to help save lives. Initiatives such as this encourage women to go for annual screenings and re-emphasise the importance of regular screening and early detection.”
Zulekha Hospital is strengthening its capability to treat patients suffering from cancer in Dubai and the Northern Emirates through the construction of a AED200 million centre for advanced specialised oncology treatment.
Staffed by specialists including radiation oncologists, physicists, and radiation therapists and managed as a centre of excellence for cancer care and research, the new Dubai facility is scheduled to open in early 2017.
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