Khorfakkan Hospital, an Emirates Health Services (EHS) facility, has announced the accomplishments of its "Diabetes and Heart Centre of Excellence" since its inception in 2021 to date. This facility is regarded as a leading and exceptional centre for providing diabetes and heart treatment under one roof and during a single visit.
Dr. Abdullah Al Balushi, Medical Director of Khorfakkan Hospital, said that Khorfakkan Hospital is committed to delivering the highest level of services in accordance with the policies and direction of Emirates Health Services to provide comprehensive, proactive, sustainable, and innovation-based medical care. This is aligned with the UAE government’s focus on prioritising the welfare of the people and delivering services customised to their needs and preferences.
Al Balushi said: "Following the success of the UAE's pioneering experience in combatting the COVID-19 epidemic, the "Diabetes and Heart Centre of Excellence" at the hospital has accomplished extraordinary achievements. We wanted to create another success story with the medical team, so we began monitoring the difficulties faced by the patients and started offering new services. This framework is based on developing a humanistic relationship with the patient and proactively addressing any challenges. The "Diabetes and Heart Centre of Excellence" at Khorfakkan Hospital is today distinguished as a leading and integrated centre in the region for the detection and treatment of diabetes using the finest treatment protocols deployed at the best international centres. Upholding the theme "Under one roof," the centre provides services and treatments for diabetes and heart disease, as well as allied specialisations such as renal, eye disorders, nutrition, and mental health. This reflects our focus on delivering integrated services at the highest levels in the field of comprehensive diabetes care. This cover numerous specialities and a holistic approach to diabetes management and prevention, in accordance with approved international standards and regulations, and within the available human and technical resources.
Al Balushi highlighted that streamlining and facilitating processes, as well as reducing the journey of diabetes and heart patients to one day and making a visit last approximately just three hours, contributed to achieving the intended objectives while saving time and effort for all. This reflected well on the optimal utilisation of nursing staff effort by reducing the number of times the customer must conduct a nursing evaluation in the various departments to only once during one visit.
Al Balushi said the centre has achieved remarkable results in dealing with diabetes and cardiac patients. Three individuals were saved from blindness and 13 people had their health deterioration reversed whereby they avoided reaching the stage of chronic eye disorders. Of the 172 patients with heart disease, three were saved from having heart attacks, 91 from developing potential heart disease, and seven from kidney failure.
Al Balushi added that the cases received at the centre demonstrated that obesity plays a part in managing cumulative sugar levels when the patient relies solely on drugs. As a result, a visit to the nutrition clinic was included in the patient's trip, emphasising the need to modify eating habits and improve patients' knowledge of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. This has resulted in weight loss for a number of patients with first-degree obesity, as well as weight loss for overweight patients.
Al Balushi said that the ongoing initiatives are also aimed at boosting mental health, and reflecting its significant role, the centre included mental health into the patient's journey, which helped to diagnose 11 persons suffering from mental illness and severe depression. This was particularly important for individuals who have never had a psychological evaluation as it is important that the diagnosis of diabetes patients with such conditions led to their commitment to treatment plans, resulting in a remarkable improvement in their lives. The centre undertook a year-long examination which helped lessen the prescribed medicines used by diabetic patients by 42% overall.
According to Al Balushi, when the centre first opened, there were only 14 patients, due to a lack of a culture of specialisation in treating diabetes. Most patients used to book appointments with internal medicine departments solely to receive medicines.
One of the challenges faced by the administration was raising knowledge of the center's benefits. Today, there are over 365 regular clients since the centre opened in late 2021. The centre allows for the implementation of comprehensive procedures for diabetes, blood pressure, heart, and kidneys in one location. As a result of this successful approach, the hospital is sharing its experience with other centres and hospitals to strengthen knowledge and benefit all by highlighting the opportunities for development and innovation.