American Heart Association opens office at Dubai Healthcare City; cardiac care capacity gets a boost in Middle East, North Africa

Monday, Dec 08, 2014

U.S.-based nonprofit to offer basic and advanced lifesaving information to healthcare providers and the public Courses designed to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke – one of the leading causes of death in the Middle East and North Africa

Dubai, December 8, 2014:

Dubai Healthcare City today announced the opening of the Middle East and North Africa office of the American Heart Association.

The American Heart Association, a nonprofit based in the United States and the world’s largest volunteer organization dedicated to cardiovascular health, trains more than 16 million people a year globally in lifesaving first aid, CPR and advanced cardiovascular care.

The American Heart Association’s courses are designed to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke – leading causes of death in the United Arab Emirates, the Middle East and North Africa. The organization has been serving the area and operating in the UAE for six years.

The office, located at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Center, Dubai Healthcare City’s dedicated academic complex, works with 212 American Heart Association-affiliated training centers and sites that provide lifesaving training courses in the region. The new office will facilitate American Heart Association program development in the region designed to help more people live healthier, longer lives.

Medical education is at the core of operations at Dubai Healthcare City, a health and wellness destination that brings together a wealth of services in healthcare, medical education and research. The partnership with the American Heart Association will strengthen medical capacity in the UAE.

“Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in the UAE and the region,” said Marwan Abedin, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Healthcare City. “It is essential that more health professionals are equipped with the necessary training to help increase survival from heart disease and stroke. The American Heart Association is an important partner for us as we look for avenues to improve medical education for healthcare professionals and medical students among others.”

Nancy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the American Heart Association, praised the development. “The mission of the American Heart Association is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke, and we are committed to the expansion of science-based lifesaving training solutions in the UAE. It’s very exciting that through collaboration with our colleagues in the UAE we are together bringing more lifesaving skills to the region.”

“Today we celebrate the inauguration of the American Heart Association’s UAE office, established to drive further lifesaving measures and program development here in Dubai and the region,” said Dr. Mohamed Al-Nasaif, Emergency Physician and an AHA faculty. “We are proud of the high quality training provided to healthcare providers, corporate employees and the general public at American Heart Association International Training Centers throughout the Region.

The opening was marked with a ceremony for the recognition program that was recently introduced among local American Heart Association International Training Centers, including American Hospital Dubai, Dubai Health Authority, Ministry of Health, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Tawam Hospital and Uniteam Medical Assistance.

The American Heart Association has about 3,000 staff and more than 22 million volunteers and supporters worldwide. It has a network of 400,000 instructors and 3,500 affiliated training centers around the world, among them 112 International Training Centers and more than 100 Training Sites in the Middle East and North Africa.

Among the various projects for the Middle East, the association is customizing its educational material for local, cultural and health conditions, and is translating several of its materials to Arabic.