The camp was inaugurated by Dr. Abdulla Al Dhamer, the Director and CEO of ACFMS and was under the supervision of Dr. Noble Zachariah, Chief Physician of ACFMS and President of WMC Medical Forum, Middle East Region.
76 Indians from the different states of India and 21 other nationals (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Bengla Desh) attended the camp.
5 new diabetics 16 pre-diabetics were detected. 18 persons were detected to have high total cholesterol. However many persons with normal total cholesterol had high LDL (bad cholesterol) and low HDL (good cholesterol). 43 had high LDL and 45 had low HDL making them more prone for coronary heat disease and other blood vessel related diseases. This abnormality has been revealed in many studies of Global Indians. Therefore one should not be lulled into a false sense of security by checking only total cholesterol. It is important that high risk individuals should have a lipid profile checked even if they are found to have normal total cholesterol and take appropriate preventive care. High blood pressure was detected in 9 persons. Of the 11 persons with chronic cough, 7 were detected to have asthma through lung function test. It is known that longevity is decreased in persons with low FEV1 which is one of the abnormal findings in asthma.
So it was a very useful opportunity for the attendees to detect these dangerous but silent diseases which produce serious complications if not detected and controlled early. Dr. Al Dhamer was overwhelmed by the results and has promised to co-operate in conducting similar free medical camps in the future. He also offered to give heavy discounts for the further investigations and management of the patients attending these medical camps as most were either middle class or economically weak.