Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences supported the 5th Gulf Thoracic Congress held at Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai (March 13 to 15). The conference was organized by the Emirates Allergy and Respiratory Society and the Saudi Thoracic Society, in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic, Royal Brompton Hospital, UK, and the Mac Gel University, Canada, with the participation of about 900 doctors and specialists from Canada, North America, Europe, and the Arab region.

 

Mr. Abdullah bin Souqat, Executive Director of Hamdan Medical Award, said: Proudly, the Award supports such an important conference within the framework of its commitments towards supporting the Continuing Medical Education activities in the region with the aim of developing the performance of healthcare professionals.

 

“The conference discussed many important topics, and I am optimistic that it could contribute in achieving a quantum leap in managing the common chronic respiratory diseases in the Gulf region, such as asthma, and laying down the preventive policies to decrease its burdens on individuals, families and societies.

 

On behalf of the committees of the congress, Dr. Bassam Mahboub, the chairman of the organizing committee and the president of the Emirates Allergy and Respiratory Society thanked H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and the Patron of the award for his continuous support to the medical sectors, particularly the Gulf Thoracic conference which has become one of the most important medical events in the region.

 

“According to the recommendations issued by the conference, the concerned institutions should take the preventive procedures from the respiratory diseases to reduce its rates in the Gulf region. Such procedures are to encourage people to follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid bad habits such as smoking cigarettes, shisha or Almdoakh”, he added.

 

“Conducting further studies on patients with lung diseases and allergy in the GCC countries was recommended, especially that such diseases affect 13% to 20% of the population because of the frequent dust storms in the region”, he said.

 

Regarding to the scientific program of the conference, Dr. Bassam Mahboub said: “The first day included five workshops on a number of important topics such as pediatric sleep medicine, thoracic ultrasound, bronchial hygiene therapy and the scientific publishing”.

 

“The second and third days included 30 lectures dealt with many topics such as diagnosis challenges for asthma, the multidisciplinary care, the co-morbidities impact on its management and the personal medicine”, he added.

 

“The lectures also discussed the lung cancer in the region, the management of early and advanced cases of the lung cancer, thoracic tumors and common chronic lung diseases in children. Additionally, the conference dealt with the present and future of pulmonary vascular diseases, the new emerging diseases in sleep disorders medicine, advances in critical care and chest imaging in clinical practice”, he said.

 

“Among the important lectures delivered in the conference, a lecture by Dr. Hayat Sindi from Saudi Arabia, the ambassador of the United Nations for Science, about the “bio chips” as a diagnostic tool for genetic diseases and cancers, which is expected to be a new revolution in medicine”, he added.