Unique co-operation with regard to the treatment of diabetes and obesity in the United Arab Emirates

Global Health Partner has signed a contract with the Ministry of Health in the United Arab Emirates regarding the setting up and running of a combined diabetes and obesity clinic.
“The incidence of obesity and diabetes is very high in the Middle East. Scientific studies have shown that obesity operations have a very positive effect on diabetes, and through this unique clinic Global Health Partner now has the opportunity to be at the leading edge with regard to evaluating this,” says Per Båtelson, Global Health Partner’s CEO.

Global Health Partner has signed a contract with the Ministry of Health in the United Arab Emirates regarding the setting up and running of a combined obesity and diabetes clinic in Ajman, an Emirate that is about fifty kilometres from Dubai. The clinic, which will be the first of its kind in the region, with a combination of highly specialized obesity and diabetes care, is immediately adjacent to the public Sheikh Khalifa Hospital. Initially the clinic will focus on outpatient care, with additional limited volumes of inpatient obesity surgery. The aim is to gradually expand the inpatient care. Under the agreement Global Health Partner has full responsibility for leading and running the business. The term of the contract is initially five years and Global Health Partner will receive a combination of a fixed fee for running the business and for managerial responsibility and a variable fee for surgery.

The prevalence of obesity in the United Arab Emirates is approximately 30% and just over 20% of the population suffers from diabetes. This means that the United Arab Emirates is one of the countries in the world with the highest prevalence of both obesity and diabetes. Diabetes type II is a commonly occurring secondary disease in people suffering from obesity and can lead to complications in the eyes, kidneys, heart etc. In many countries diabetes is the single most expensive disease for society. In recent years many scientific studies have been able to show that obesity operations performed on patients with both obesity and diabetes lead to the diabetes totally regressing in 50-80% of the patients and to other patients improving considerably. Other weight-reducing treatment can also lead to diabetes type II improving significantly. Institutions and organizations in various parts of the world are therefore beginning to look at the advantages of combining these areas of treatment.

Global Health Partner already has clinics for the treatment of obesity in Stockholm, Lund, Bergen, Birmingham and Cairo. The clinics are run under the name Bariatric Centers within Service Line Bariatrics.

14 May 2009
Gothenburg, Sweden
Global Health Partner AB (publ)
Per Båtelson, CEO