Call center for diabetics

 

DUBAI/AJMAN - A dedicated call center to educate diabetic patients and help them raise queries and concerns with healthcare professionals has been launched by the Dubai Health Authority.

The authority, on Thursday, announced its plan to launch the Diabetes Management Program(DMP) in association with Sanofi and Green Crescent.

The initiative was to mark World Diabetes Day 2011and saw the participation of 2,000 students from schools across Dubai in a Children’s Fun Day.

The event to announce the program, which was held at Al Wasl Club, was inaugurated by Khalid Al Shaikh Mubarak, Deputy Director General of the authority. “Patients enrolled under the program and visiting the Dubai Diabetes Centrewill now receive enhanced diabetes educational support and regular follow-ups,” he said. The follow-ups will be through e-mail, SMS and phone calls.

“Patients will have access to a dedicated call center for diabeticswhich will be a direct platform for patients to raise their queries and concerns with regard to their condition,” he said.

“We wanted to provide patients with a medium where they can directly contact healthcare professionals who can deal with their queries and concerns and to provide comprehensive support and guidance to enrolled patients through out-bound calls about how to manage their condition and to closely follow-up with them after their visit to ensure they are abiding by the doctor’s instructions.”

“The level of adherence by patients to diabetes treatment is low and therefore they are more susceptible to have complications. This is where DMP can help,” said George Morcos, General Manager, Sanofi Gulf.

“Health care costs associated with treating diabetes are staggering: the average cost for treating an employee with diabetes is 13 times greater than the health care expenses associated with a ‘healthy’ employee,” said Nathan Kennedy, Managing Director, Green Crescent Insurance Company.

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