MUSCAT: The Ministry of Health (MOH) launched two pilot projects in collaboration with Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf and Danish Embassy at the ministry headquarters on Thursday.
Project ‘Oman Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines’ will educate healthcare professionals on how to proactively and efficiently engage in medical management of obesity. On the other hand, project ‘Obesity Epidemiology Study’ will estimate the prevalence of obesity-related co-morbidities in the hospital setting, Also, an assessment will be made on the prevalence of top 10 co-morbidities in the Sultanate of Oman.
The projects were launched in a meeting under the patronage of HE Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, in the presence of HE Mr. Ole Emil Moesby, Danish Ambassador to Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain Kuwait and Yemen.
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The launching ceremony was also attended by Sayyidah Dr Noor Al Busaidi, Director of National Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, Dr Venkat Kalyan, Vice President and General Manager of Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf and Dr Ahmed Magdy, Director of Patient Access and Public Affairs at Novo Nordisk Pharma Gulf.
The projects are expected to not only help establish obesity treatment options and how the disease can be best managed but also, create an in-depth understanding of the epidemic in Oman.
Drawing attention to the rise in obesity-related health issues worldwide, the Minister of Health spoke at the meeting expressing deep concern that obesity is taking a toll on not only the well-being of individuals but also on the well-being of the society. It also hampers productivity and strains the healthcare systems and economies.
Over the last two years, the pandemic has highlighted the global issue which is obesity. Poor nutrition coupled with sedentary lifestyle has made obesity a global concern. “It is imperative that regional and local barriers to obesity prevention and treatment are addressed urgently in a way that they don’t increase weight discrimination and stigma,” the statement released by the Ministry of Health stated.
A recent cross-sectional community-based survey of the population of Oman found that almost two-thirds (66%) of the population was overweight or had obesity (BMI ≥ 25).
