THE Gulf is full of towers that measure more than 600 metres like hotels that will be suspended under the sea. Like that, people can’t see the resonance of Imperial College London’s gleaming diabetes centre in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The building is decorated with tessellated plates of aluminium.
The hospital (since 2006) now cares for 6,000 patients, who pass through its chain of tests and treatments in a single visit. Almost a fifth of the UAE's native population suffers from diabetes.
The sickness is a consequence of the region's economic transformation. Before 1961, Abu Dhabi lacked even a paved road. Since then, it has enjoyed a startling transition from pearling to petroleum, from souk to mall and from sand to glass.
This prosperity has bought a sedentary lifestyle and a sugary diet, which may have triggered a genetic predisposition to diabetes among Arabs. In the neighbouring emirate of Dubai shoppers are invited to enrol in “Mall Walkers”, a power-walking club that promises to give more than your credit card a workout.
Diabetes is a big problem for the Gulf. The region is struggling to absorb petrodollars without thinking about the consequences, it shouldn’t go like that, but nowadays, money is the most important for many people.
Source: The Economist
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