Dubai: A top heart surgeon said there was a need to focus on the real problem, the younger generation, and educate them on how to live a healthy life.
"We can take care of the patients [with heart disease] now, but we don't want this to go on," Dr Obaid Al Jasem, head of cardiothoracic surgery in Dubai Hospital, said.
The surgeon highlighted the bad nutrition habits and lifestyle of the young in the UAE. "They need to eat healthy, be active, not sit in front of the computer and eat chips," he said. "We need to develop prevention programmes for the young.. catch them early."
Dr Al Jasem spoke to Gulf News ahead of the World Cardiology Congress starting in Dubai today. The surgeon said he was proud that Dubai had won the bid to host this prestigious congress.
"Pioneers in cardio-surgery and cardiovascular disease are here. We can share their experience and this helps develop health care services in the UAE," he said.
The surgeon believes that the UAE has advanced to a great level in the capability to diagnose and treat heart disease earlier but noted that there was "still a long way to go."
More education needed
"There are good doctors and good hospitals, but that is not our ambition," he said and called for more education of the people and more research to take the standard of care higher.
He noted that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one killer in the country. "The number one was traffic accidents, but heart disease has taken over," he said.
According to a registry, between 25 to 30 per cent of the population suffers from CVD.
"We need to control the external and internal risk factors to get rid of 50 per cent of the mortality figures," he said.
A person suffering from CVD is a huge burden on the society and the government, he said.
"Take a case of person who suffered an attack and blood supply to his brain was stopped for some time. His brain gets affected, he is disabled. The workforce has lost an active person, he is now a burden on the health system. A lot of investigations have to be done, he has to be taken care of. Multiply that with many thousands per year and you have a situation," he said.
The surgeon said it is not just genetics at fault, but the lack of control of the risk factors.
