Earlier this year The Review caught up with Dr Manal Taryam, an Emirati ophthalmologist who is at the vanguard of treating diabetes-related blindness in the UAE. Dr Taryam told us that, thanks to the efforts of the government's health authority, incidence of type-2 diabetes - the kind that's often linked with obesity - were on the wane.
In fact, its occurrence had dropped so much that whereas the Emirates had, in 2008, been second-worst in the world for rates of the disease per capita, it had fallen to 10th by 2011.
One nation continuously used to supersede it on the list and that place was Nauru, a minuscule island state located in a remote corner of the South Pacific.
Back in 2008, figures from the World Health Organisation showed that one in three of its population of just 11,000 people (although the CIA's World Factbook estimates that figure will have shrunk to 9,368 by July this year) were afflicted with diabetes. So how did this come about?
Nauru's journey towards its health crisis can be traced to the huge deposits of fossilised bird droppings that used to be found on the island. The phosphates in this natural resource make excellent fertiliser, and that led to it being prodigiously mined, first by foreign companies, and then, after Nauru won independence from Great Britain in 1968, by the islanders themselves.
Such droppings brought untold riches and by the 1980s, Nauru was the wealthiest per capita nation on Earth. And like many other nouveau riche, they abandoned their traditional lifestyles and diets and adopted western habits such as overeating, drinking and smoking. Consequently, rates of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses skyrocketed.
However, by the turn of the 20th century, the phosphates had all but run out, with the island's lush interior ravaged beyond recognition by mining.
With its natural resources depleted, from 2001 to 2007, the Nauru government consented to house a detention centre for immigrants seeking asylum in Australia in return for a generous aid package.
By then, the Nauruans had squandered much of their wealth, on both opulent living and bad investments, meaning that, by a cruel twist of fate, they lacked the capital to fund treatment for the conditions affecting their well-being.
This is where the World Diabetes Foundation stepped in, offering finance and expertise to the island's government.
Heading this mission was Dr Ruth Colagiuri, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, who has spent considerable time on Nauru coordinating its healthcare programmes. She recalls the severity of the situation on her inaugural trip there.
"On my first visit to Nauru in the early 1990s, diabetes was rampant and there weren't the facilities to cope," she remembers. "A large number of the people with diabetes were suffering from amputations and blindness."
Dr Colagiuri set about attempting to curb the problems.
She says: "We asked,'what were the recommended standards of diabetes care internationally, and how could Nauru progress towards them, recognising that there were resource constraints? Could Nauru meet the same standards as Australia, the US or the UK, or if a certain level of care couldn't be achieved, what would be the next best thing?'
"We had to change the way the health system worked. This meant changing policy to demonstrate to the government that if people got better care it would reduce costs. The better controlled diabetes is, the less likely the people were to have complications. And so we saw hospital admissions fall by a huge amount."
All of this has had to be achieved with limited funds.
She says: "It had to be within their resources, because money wasn't going to fall from the sky. Ultimately funding has to come from their own budgets and the government was convinced it had to make these things a priority, because of the impact on their productivity."
Such was the success of this mission that rates of diabetes dropped from more than 30 per cent of adults in 2008, to around 16 per cent last year.
Yet, Dr Colagiuri readily admits other factors also contributed to this reduction.
"Obviously the rapid rise of affluence and then its sudden fall meant that noncommunicable diseases fell too. It's an incredibly salient illustration of external forces on these kind of diseases. They were the wealthiest nation on Earth per capita, now they're back to being one of the poorest. This is a tough way to lose your diabetes problem."
Yet, as they were forced to give up their extravagant lifestyles, their impoverished existence created other health issues.
"They still fish, but 90 per cent of the fish that's hauled from the sea is shipped overseas. People who live there cannot afford to eat their own fish. So they're reliant on a ship that comes every six weeks and [richer nations] tend to offload all the worst food to these poor countries around the world. They're not eating such extravagant western diets any more, but they tend to eat tinned Spam and other fatty foods that are just doing them harm."
Although the UAE is clearly not in any danger of seeing its primary income source disappearing overnight, as happened in Nauru, Dr Colagiuri believes that both countries could learn from each other's examples.
"On paper, there doesn't appear to be any similarities between [the UAE] and Nauru," she suggests. "But yes, both have come into wealth very quickly and are suffering the consequences of it.
"The Nauruans had previously been living a traditional lifestyle where they got plenty of exercise and lived off root vegetables and fish. So there was little or no diabetes back then. But I think what it does show is that you can make a difference in affecting these conditions, without huge resources.
"You just have to focus on getting the basics right. You don't [always] need top-of-the-range equipment. As long as you have a well-trained staff, diagnose cases early and get the right medications, you can make a real difference."
There are also stark lessons for other developing nations to learn from Nauru's story, although Dr Colagiuri predicts these were not likely to be heeded.
"The situation there shows that we have to manage our societies better and so-called advances in technology and living standards," she contends. "When these nations become rich, in many ways we are powerless to stop the effect it will have on their people's health and well-being.
"But we have to make low- and middle-income countries aware that wealth generation does bring with it a huge range of other problems.
"But can we in the wealthy countries really tell the developing world to avoid these kinds of traps? You know, TVs, mobile phones, big cars are all very seductive and enticing. And if you've been poor all your life, can you really stop them wanting all these luxuries? I guess they have to live through their own experiences."
Hugo Berger is a features writer for The National.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
if you go
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
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Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
China and the UAE agree comprehensive strategic partnership
China and the UAE forged even closer links between the two countries during the landmark state visit after finalising a ten-point agreement on a range of issues, from international affairs to the economy and trade and renewable energy.
1. Politics: The two countries agreed to support each other on issues of security and to work together on regional and international challenges. The nations also confirmed that the number of high-level state visits between China and the UAE will increase.
2. Economy: The UAE offers its full support to China's Belt and Road Initiative, which will combine a land 'economic belt" and a "maritime silk road" that will link China with the Arabian Gulf as well as Southeast, South and Central China, North Africa and, eventually, Europe.
3. Business and innovation: The two nations are committed to exploring new partnerships in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence, energy, the aviation and transport industries and have vowed to build economic co-operation through the UAE-China Business Committee.
4. Education, science and technology: The Partnership Programme between Arab countries in Science and Technology will encourage young Emirati scientists to conduct research in China, while the nations will work together on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, renewable energy and space projects.
5. Renewable energy and water: The two countries will partner to develop renewable energy schemes and work to reduce climate change. The nations have also reiterated their support for the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency.
6. Oil and gas: The UAE and China will work in partnership in the crude oil trade and the exploration and development of oil and natural gas resources.
7. Military and law enforcement and security fields: Joint training will take place between the Chinese and UAE armed forces, while the two nations will step up efforts to combat terrorism and organised crime.
8. Culture and humanitarian issues: Joint cultural projects will be developed and partnerships will be cultivated on the preservation of heritage, contemporary art and tourism.
9. Movement between countries: China and the UAE made clear their intent to encourage travel between the countries through a wide-ranging visa waiver agreement.
10. Implementing the strategic partnership: The Intergovernmental Co-operation Committee, established last year, will be used to ensure the objectives of the partnership are implemented.
