Al Jazira Sports and Health Foundation has launched its 24 hours Hepatitis call center service. The call center is part of Al Jazira extensive Hepatitis Public Awareness Campaign, one of the many programs that the non-profit organized has to offer to the region. H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, President of the Al Jazira Club and Vice President of the Honorary Board formed the National Committee for Hepatitis Awareness in February 2006.
The Foundation functions across a spectrum of objectives to improve public awareness regarding health matters, with an overall mission to promote a healthy lifestyle for the community, chiefly the younger population. Al Jazira Sports and Health Foundation will also integrate athletic and wellbeing activities through numerous educational awareness campaigns on various diseases of public concern.
“Our commitment includes funding focused research, promoting disease awareness, supporting immunization and treatment initiatives, and serving as the primary source of information for patients and their families, the medical and scientific community, and the general public” Said Dr. Hamad Al Ghaferi, Director of the National Committee on Hepatitis Awareness. “This call center, is the first of many steps to increase public awareness and to encourage the public to take a more proactive measures towards health issues, while providing top of the line professional aid”
Since the launch, the help line had received more that 500 calls inquiring about prevention measures, treatment methods and general inquires. All calls had been dealt with in a professional manner, offering a reliable service to the public.
Hepatitis is a liver disease, classified by subtypes A, B, C, D and E, caused by several factors. The most common subtypes affecting the general public are types A, B and C, each of which differs in severity, modes of transmission, treatment and prevention.
Scientific studies and researches confirmed that more than 350 million people in Asia only are suffering from Hepatitis B, which is one third of the total number of Hepatitis patients worldwide. In addition, and according to the World Health Organization, the average of Hepatitis cases in the Gulf region ranges between 2-5% of the total population.
This Hepatitis Awareness Campaign is the Foundation’s first public awareness effort covering Hepatitis in the region and is supervised by the National Committee for Hepatitis Awareness.
The purpose of the National Committee is to minimize the spread of Hepatitis by executing a comprehensive awareness campaign, providing education and contributing to services that reinforce the prevention of Hepatitis.
About Al Jazira Sports and Health Foundation:
Based in Abu Dhabi, the Al Jazira Sports and Health Foundation is a non-profit organization working in connection with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Al Jazira Sports Club and the Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training, CERT. The Foundation was created in order to link the benefits of sports to a healthy lifestyle.
