Chief Editor’s Letter

Hello and welcome once again to HealthFirst.

I would like to open this second issue of the magazine by thanking His Excellency Dr. Hanif Hassan, UAE Minister of Health, who officially inaugurated HealthFirst at Arab Health 2010. The support that he and his colleagues from Dubai’s healthcare authorities have given the publication has been nothing short of fantastic and we are grateful for the opportunity to continue bringing important health advice and information to residents and visitors to the UAE.

April is an important month on the international healthcare calendar and this issue of HealthFirst has been brought out to coincide with a number of global and local awareness campaigns. World Health Day is commemorated on April 7 and the theme for this year’s World Health Organization (WHO) event is urbanisation and wellbeing. Under the slogan ‘1000 cities-1000 lives,’ WHO aims to draw attention to the health aspects of living in a busy metropolis. With last month’s news reporting that Dubai continues to experience a population growth, despite the predictions of some experts, the subject is a timely one for the region and inside this issue is a section that addresses urban living, including tips on how to stay healthy in the city.

The first week in April also sees World Autism Day being marked and HealthFirst provides an insight into this challenging condition with an overview of the spectrum disorder. We also look at a treatment method that is helping to integrate autistic children into mainstream society, hopefully reducing the social isolation that is all too often a feature of the condition.

The health care industry continues to experience growth in this part of the world and although no sector of the economy can truly be considered ‘recession proof,’ it does appear that health care is better placed than most to weather the storm. Two senior managers from Dubai health care organisations discuss how the global economic downturn has affected their operations.

Also inside, a women’s health piece examines how cervical cancer can be easily prevented, there is a report on an important social initiative from the Dubai Women and Children’s Foundation and a round-up is given on the Family Health Festival, which brought wellbeing lifestyle advice to visitors at this year’s DSF. The kidney is the first organ under the spotlight in a new series of articles that focus on how our body works and with summer just around the corner, a dermatologist gives some vital top tips when considering which sunscreen you should buy. There is much more for you to enjoy within these pages, including dietary advice, tasty recipes and top health tips.

We hope that you find this latest addition of HealthFirst useful and we welcome your comments and opinions on the magazine. Kindly pop any thoughts or questions you may have into an e-mail and send to: info@exhealth.com 

As always, let’s work together to bring health to life.

Dr Prem Jagyasi

Chief Editor – HealthFirst Magazine

HealthFirst@ExHealth.com | www.HealthFirstMag.com