DUBAI // Many people who would benefit from a genetic consultation are not referred or even diagnosed, a leading geneticist said at an international conference yesterday.
"Genetic consultation can be an important and helpful source of information and support for families … but unfortunately many people who would benefit are not referred," said Dr Fatma Bastaki, a consultant paediatrician and clinical geneticist who is the head of paediatrics at Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai.
At the first UAE International Genetic Metabolic Conference, which opened yesterday in Dubai, Dr Bastaki gave participants tips on when to refer patients to a clinical geneticist who can provide a diagnosis, management, treatment, risk assessment and counselling services.
Family physicians, she said, may not always be able to make a definite diagnosis of genetic disease, but their role is critical in "appropriately referring patients to a geneticist."
In his opening speech, the Minister of Health Dr Hanif Hassan said the two-day conference would provide doctors and healthcare workers with the latest in the field, and also raise public awareness about the need to address rare genetic diseases.
"The UAE has been very keen to invest a lot of efforts to develop scientific plans in … the science of human genetics in particular," he said.
balqabbani@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Easter%20Sunday
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
The%20specs
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Company%20profile
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Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47