Dubai Health Authority to provide diabetics with revolutionary non-invasive glucose monitoring system.

•    DHA is the only Health Authority in the Middle East and one of the few in the world to provide such a device to its patients.
•    The no finger prick system has a stick-on water-poof sensor that monitors glucose round-the-clock.
•    New system provides revolutionary glucose monitoring, ensures high quality of life for diabetics and empowers them to take the right decision for their health.

Dubai, UAE, May 11, 2016:  The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) will begin providing diabetic patients registered with the Authority with a revolutionary non-invasive glucose monitoring system from Sunday.

The introduction of this device for diabetic patients registered at the Authority makes DHA the only health Authority in the Middle East and one of the few in the world to provide such a device to its patients.

The Authority will begin distributing the device known as Abott’s Free Style Libre to its registered diabetic patients who fulfill the criteria, and patients can collect the device from DHA hospitals- Dubai, Latifa, Rashid and the Dubai Diabetes Centre.

The no-finger prick flash glucose monitoring system provides round-the-clock monitoring. Patients need to stick-on a sensor and they can scan themselves as many times in a day as they like. The scan takes only one second and shows patients their current glucose reading, an eight-hour glucose history and a trend arrow that depicts where their blood sugar is heading.

His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and the Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority said, “Dubai Health Authority is keen to provide patients with the very latest in health services, as innovations take place, they further push boundaries of care and provide patients better health outcomes and convenience. It is our endeavor to be able to provide our patients with the latest in health services.  Providing this state-of-the-art device to diabetics will lead to an enhanced monitoring of glucose levels, better quality of life for our patients and a drop in the rate of diabetes complications.”

In the UAE, almost 20 per cent of the population is diabetic and another 20 per cent is pre-diabetic. Monitoring glucose levels is part of a diabetic’s daily routine and is important to keep complications at bay and manage the disease.

Dr Ali Sayed, Director of Pharmacy at the Dubai Health Authority, said: “Traditionally a person with diabetes self-monitors their glucose by pricking their fingers routinely to check their glucose level so that he can adjust insulin, diet, and activity to achieve good glycemic control. The new flash glucose monitoring system eliminates the discomfort associated with pricks; the sensor is a stick-on, needs to be changed every two weeks and is waterproof. The scan takes only one second, is accurate and provides details of current blood glucose levels and an eight-hour history. We are certain all these features will significantly improve the lives of our diabetic patients, especially our pediatric patients (who are above four years and use the device under adult supervision) as this system is easier to use than the finger prick testing.”

Dr Sayed also highlighted that this will significantly minimize life-threatening complications such as diabetic coma which can occurs when a diabetic’s blood sugar rises (hyperglycemia) or when it falls dangerously low (hypoglycemia). 

The system reads glucose levels through a sensor that is worn on the back of the upper arm for up to 14 days, eliminating the need for routine finger pricks.

Glucose readings can be taken as many times per day as needed or desired, with a painless one-second scan.

The data generated by the system can be transferred to the software installed at DHA’s clinics so that doctors have a clear history of the blood glucose reading and can manage the patient’s diet and medication accordingly.

 Additionally, patients are also empowered as they can opt for a one-second scan number of times a day and they will be able to know their current reading and blood glucose trend so that they can determine how to modify food and other behaviors to better manage their diabetes on a daily basis.

The system will be provided free-of-cost to UAE nationals who are registered with the DHA and who meet strict medical requirements and expatriates can buy the system from the DHA.