Mediclinic Abu Dhabi Annual Cancer Conference concludes

Addressing the conference, Sheikh Nahyan said: “With President His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s guidance and support, the UAE is committed to providing the best health care and the best medical services to all. We spare no effort to ensure the health and well-being of our population.’’

Sheikh Nahyan stressed the need to promote prevention of the disease. ‘’We must identify and understand the wide range of risk factors, from environmental toxins to lifestyle decisions involving nutrition, smoking, exercise and other factors. We must form partnerships between hospitals, health workers, colleges of medicine, and community organisations to develop effective public education campaigns. It is a critical challenge for you who work in the field to determine strategies to motivate people to learn about cancer and to pursue appropriate preventive behaviors.’’

Speaking about new technologies in the fight against cancer, Sheikh Nahyan said nanotechnology, gene therapies, and personalised medicine, are examples of the exciting and promising new technologies in the fight against cancer. ‘’I am particularly eager to see how supporting individualized medicine with Artificial Intelligence will impact the cost and availability of treatment.’’

In regard to the long-term fight against cancer, Sheikh Nahyan stressed the need for ‘’our region’’ to craft a focused strategy for fighting cancer that commits to the proper analysis of data and information as a way to inform our way forward.

The conference saw the attendance of more than 300 medical professionals from across the UAE working in the field of oncology. The conference discussed diverse topics presented by 22 different speakers from the UAE and from Hirslanden, Mediclinic’s sister division in Switzerland.

Hein van Eck, Chief Executive Officer of Mediclinic Middle East, said: “Cancer treatment continues to evolve at such a fast pace. It is vital for oncology professionals to stay at the forefront of these developments in order to provide the highest levels of evidence-based care for their patients. ”