New department to Look After Elderly to Be Set Up

 By Barbara Bibbo', Gulf News

 March 11, 2003 

The Ministry of Health will open a new department which will oversee problems facing the elderly, along with several new sections, an official said yesterday.

A committee of the ministry's senior officials met yesterday to discuss the establishment of new departments such as old age, nutrition and dietary, infants and mothers, and emergency.

It also discussed the introduction of a new organisational chart to replace the existing one which dates back to 1989.

"The old chart has finished its time and will be replaced by a new document to include the changes we are planning to implement at the ministry," Dr Abdul Ghaffar Al Hawi, Assistant Under-secretary for Curative Medicine, told Gulf News.

Dr Al Hawi said the opening of the new departments, in particular the old age department, will reflect the current changes in the structure of UAE society and meet new demands of the public.
"Elderly people present specific problems which have to be tackled by tailored medical plans, strategies and experts.

"In the last few years our elderly population has increased and this trend is likely to continue. Its growth represents an increasing pressure on our medical services and structures that we have to manage."

He said the ministry is not considering the opening of centres for the elderly, but rather to provide them with specialised services.

They will include home visits for those who cannot reach the medical centres, annual medical check ups and others, to help the elderly and their families.

He added the emergency section of the ministry will be transformed into a separate emergency department.

The move is aimed at expanding and improving the services offered by the section, whose management will also be given more independence and responsibilities.

The nutrition and dietary department, as well as the mothers and infants department, also reflect an endeavour to curb the increasing health problems related to incorrect nutritional habits, and to provide additional medical care to pregnant women and mothers.

He said: "Nutrition is a fundamental aspect of our life and of the growth of our society. It has also become particularly significant in the last few years due to the increasing number of diseases caused by incorrect nutritional habits.

"In the relationship between the mother and the baby, nutrition becomes a fundamental factor for the correct growth of the child and his learning of healthy nutritional habits."

He said the two departments will be strictly cooperating in promoting educational programmes to raise awareness about the importance of correct nutrition.

The nutrition and dietitian will supervise food distribution in the public hospitals as well as plan nutritional awareness campaigns.