ABU DHABI // The national health insurer has stopped covering tests for vitamin D deficiency, meaning many who suffer from it may go without treatment.
Daman’s figures show nearly four in five people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, tests for which are crucial, doctors say.
Daman will only cover tests for those with such ailments such as osteoporosis, rickets and kidney disorders.
Those who suffer from malabsorption syndrome and patients who take medication that affect the body’s ability to absorb vitamin D are also covered. Emiratis can still claim the tests, which cost between Dh150 and Dh500, on their Thiqa cards.
Dr Manohar Reddy, a specialist in internal medicine at NMC Specialty Hospital in Abu Dhabi, said many patients who needed the test could now not afford it. He said the halt in coverage was caused by abuse of insurance by patients and health professionals.
“I select the patients who need vitamin D tests,” Dr Reddy said. “I tell them the situation and also explain to them that they will benefit from doing the test.
“In my practice, at least half of my patients have insufficient vitamin D. About 10 per cent of them have very low vitamin D.”
Dr Nazura Siddiqi, specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist at Bareen International Hospital, said many who had vitamin D deficiency did not show symptoms, making checks crucial.
“When they know the test costs about Dh400 they don’t want to get it done,” Dr Siddiqi said.
“There is no way the insurance should not be covering this test. When so many people are affected, we need to monitor it.
“In a country where there is very high prevalence, if people are not getting the tests done, then you’re missing out on all these patients.”
Vitamin D affects the metabolism of almost every cell on the body, she said.
“Vitamin D deficiency affects the heart metabolism, the reproductive system. It can be linked to cardiac problems like high blood pressure and even depression,” Dr Siddiqi said.
“It can also put one at risk of Type 2 diabetes or autoimmune problems. It can be associated with cancer such as colon cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer.
“We found that vitamin D deficiency can be associated with infertility in women.”
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and protective effects, and also helps in absorption of calcium, she said.
Dr Jad Aoun, chief medical officer at Daman, said recent statistics showed 78 per cent of the population had a vitamin D deficiency, and that with such high levels it was “increasingly ineffectual” to carry out tests.
As a result, Daman had altered its position to match “common international best practices”.
Instead, doctors should “focus on measures to increase vitamin D levels through advice on Sun exposure, vitamin D-rich foods or taking supplements”, then follow up to see if symptoms had abated.
“It is important to state that while in some cases the test itself is not covered, the supplements are covered for all,” Dr Aoun said.
“This means that those who have been diagnosed with such a deficiency or have a precondition that requires them to take supplements will be covered on that front by way of a doctor’s prescription.”
Dr Shobha Shetty, specialist in internal medicine at Medeor Medical Centre Al Zeina, believed the high costs of tests and treatment deterred people from seeking diagnosis.
“The expense can go into thousands of dirhams,” Dr Shetty said.
“For a patient earning a meagre amount, they don’t want to spend all their money on this, so we are not able to pick up vitamin D deficiency in the early stages.
“Those who are prone to vitamin D deficiency, we can catch them early rather than waiting for them to go into full-blown deficiency and then treating them. It gets difficult for the doctor and the patient at that stage.”
arizvi2@thenational.ae
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
The specs: 2018 Opel Mokka X
Price, as tested: Dh84,000
Engine: 1.4L, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Power: 142hp at 4,900rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 1,850rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L / 100km
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
