Imperial opens second diabetes centre in United Arab Emirates

His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan opens the ICLDC

His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan opens the ICLDC

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre has opened a state-of-the-art facility that will provide world-class standards of care to patients in the United Arab Emirates city of Al Ain and its surrounding region - News

Adapted from a news release issued by Imperial College London Diabetes Centre
Tuesday 29 May 2012

His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region (pictured above) has officially opened the second Imperial College London Diabetes Centre - a state-of-the-art facility that will provide world-class standards of care to patients in the United Arab Emirates city of Al Ain and its surrounding region.

The launch of this new facility follows the establishment of the first Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2006 and is an extension of the partnership agreement between Mubadala Healthcare (a business unit of Mubadala Development Company) and Imperial College London, a science-based institution that is consistently rated as one of the world’s best universities.

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) is founded on the four pillars of treatment, training, public health, and research, and provides the highest level of specialised and comprehensive patient care - from the first diagnosis to the management of all the complications associated with diabetes.

Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, ICLDC's Medical & Research Director and Consultant Endocrinologist confirmed that with the opening of the Al Ain facility, ICLDC now receives more than 10,000 patient visits each month across the two centres.

"The opening of the second centre in Al Ain ensures many more people in the UAE have access to the world-class treatment for which Imperial College London Diabetes Centre has become known," she said.

The facilities are highly efficient with most laboratory tests conducted on-site and a unique paperless IT system which means that all patients are given results and recommendations in one visit.

Since becoming operational in September of last year, ICLDC's Al Ain facility has already received two endorsements from the Joint Commission International (JCI) – the JCI Certification in the Clinical Care Program for Diabetes Management and the JCI Accreditation in Ambulatory Care, both held by ICLDC's Abu Dhabi facility since 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Officials at the opening of the new ICLDC in Al Ain

At the opening, Chairman of ICLDC Suhail Mahmood Al Ansari with Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, ICLDC’s Medical & Research Director

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre is still the only facility in the world to hold both of these certifications.

The UAE ranks tenth worldwide for the prevalence of diabetes per capita of the adult population, and recent figures from the International Diabetes Federation suggest that 19.2 per cent of the UAE adult population are living with diabetes, half of whom are unaware that they have it.

In addition to the excellent clinical care provided by the two facilities, ICLDC’s award-winning public health awareness campaign, 'Diabetes-Knowledge-Action' has reached out to countless others across the Emirates and the region over the past six years.

"Partnering with international expertise to address one of our region’s most pressing healthcare issues is integral to our healthcare strategy and I am delighted with the tremendous positive impact that Imperial College London Diabetes Centre has had on our community," said Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala Development Company.

"The expansion of this proven model of care into Al Ain is a testament to ICLDC's success to date as well as our commitment to deliver world-class healthcare to the people of Al Ain and the surrounding region."

The ICLDC is developing research programmes to understand more about diabetes and why there is such a high prevalence of the condition in the UAE. It is anticipated that this research will provide new insights into how diabetes can prevented. 

Edward Astle, the Pro Rector for Enterprise at Imperial College London, added: "Tens of thousands of people have been treated at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi since it opened. Thanks to the opening of the new centre in Al Ain, even more people across the UAE can now take advantage of the world-class healthcare that the Centre offers. In the longer term, we anticipate that the research that will take place at the ICLDC will have an even greater legacy, both in the UAE and in the wider world, by helping us to develop new ways of preventing people from developing the condition."

For media enquiries, please contact:  

Amanda Fallon
Communications Manager
Mubadala Healthcare
Tel: +971507129195
Email: afallon@mubadala.ae 

Susan Furness
Strategic Solutions for ICLDC
Tel.: +97143903018
Mobile: +971506556126
Email: susan@strategicsolutionsonline.com

Notes to Editors

About Imperial College London Diabetes Centre

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre is a one-stop, state-of-the-art, out-patient facility that specialises in diabetes treatment, research, training and public health awareness, with two centres – one each in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

The purpose-built centres are an initiative of Mubadala Healthcare, in partnership with the UK’s Imperial College London. Mubadala Healthcare, a division of Mubadala Development Company, is specifically dedicated to investment in strategic, high value and economically sustainable projects that meaningfully enhance the private healthcare infrastructure of Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

The launch of ICLDC in 2006 is testament to the vision of Mubadala Healthcare to develop projects that protect and enhance the nation’s health. ICLDC has offered diabetes prevention, education and treatment to more than 100,000 people.

‘Dia betes-Knowledge-A ction&rs quo; is ICLDC’s award-winning public health awareness campaign. It was launched in 2007 under the patronage of HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, in partnership with The Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy.

ICLDC holds the Joint Commission I nternational (JCI) Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) in Diabetes Management and JCI Accreditation for Ambulatory Care. When the Centre in Abu Dhabi received the awards it became the only healthcare provider worldwide to hold both certifications and the first facility in the Middle East and third globally to hold JCI’s highly-acclaimed CCPC specifically for the clinical management of diabetes.

For more information visit www.icldc.ae

About Mubadala Healthcare

Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala) is a catalyst for the economic diversification of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The company’s commercial strategy is built on the management of long-term, capital-intensive, investments that deliver not only strong financial returns but tangible social benefits for the people of Abu Dhabi. In doing so Mubadala is expanding the economic base of the Emirate and in turn significantly contributing to the growth and diversification of the Abu Dhabi economy.

As a business unit of Mubadala Development Company, Mubadala Healthcare is playing an instrumental role in the creation of a thriving healthcare sector for the Emirate. By establishing partnerships with renowned international medical institutions, it is actively investing to develop healthcare services that provide patients with world-class treatment in their home country. Mubadala Healthcare evaluates potential projects both on their likely commercial returns as well as on their socio-economic impact. It aims to establish sustainable businesses, build regional capability and stimulate the overall development of the sector. The first priority has been to address the region’s most pressing healthcare needs through the creation of specialist healthcare facilities. In collaboration with medical organizations such as Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Imperial College London and Cleveland Clinic, the goal is to bring the highest standards of clinical expertise to the region and reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment.

For more information about Mubadala, its partnerships and activities please visit www.mubadala.ae

About Imperial College London

Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that att racts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College ex plores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.

In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.

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