Tuesday, april 30, 2013 khaleej times

[866420]

Sadiq Shaban

As a specialisedbranch of medicinethat focuses onhealth in the work-place, occupational

health has gained traction overthe years. The service mainlytargets the physical and mentalwell-being of employees by high-lighting work-related illnessesand accidents, carrying outmed-ical tests of employees andmon-itoring their overall health. Oc-cupational health services canprove to be a major support toorganisations since the servicesare available to only 10-15 per

cent of workers worldwide.The Faculty of Occupational

Medicine of the Royal College ofPhysicians, UK, notes that occu-pational health should aim at thepromotion and maintenance ofthe highest degree of physical,mental and social well-being ofworkers in all occupations; theprevention amongworkers of de-partures from health caused bytheir working conditions; place-ment andmaintenanceof awork-er in an occupational environ-ment adapted to his physiologicaland psychological equipmentand, to summarise, the adaptionofwork to people andof eachper-son to their job.Withnearly a third of the popu-

lation spending its time in theworkplace, the UAE is known tohave one of the highest incidenc-es of lifestyle diseases. The coun-try is now gearing up to lead theregion in setting up occupationalhealth services. Various firms aretaking the opinion of occupation-al health specialists in determin-

ing how to manage a capabilityissue. Pertinently the region’sfirstoccupational health clinic startedin Dubai in 2011.Occupational health services

in the country offer screening,vaccinations, treatment and edu-cation to employees besides en-couraging employers to adoptbest practices in the workplace.Organisations are also offeredconsultancy services on how totake precautionary measuresagainst exposure towork-relateddiseases and hazards to ensurethe well-being of employees. Asthe trend catches up further, big-ger organisations in the UAE arelikely to employ its own occupa-tional health specialists in future.This might be supplemented byhaving part-time doctors whocarry out medicals and other as-sessmentswithinanorganisation.Manyfirms in theUAEhave start-ed taping into external providerof occupational health services asper their requirements.

— sadiq@khaleejtimes.com

CareatworkOccupationalhealth servicescan prove to be amajor support toorganisations

Latha Krishnan

OccupatiOnalHealth Inter-national Clinic (OHI), a joint ven-ture and partnership betweenOc-cucare International-USA andGulf Healthcare International-Dubai, began operations inDubaiin 2011 and deals with work re-lated to medicine — preventivemedicine aswell as generalmedi-cal cases.“We are a dedicated occupa-

tionalmedical facility, taking careof the health of employees frombasic to executive level. Our ser-vices range from prevention totreatment andmonitoring and in-clude everything from pre-em-ployment medical check-ups todeployment medicals, periodicalmedical check-ups, return toworkre-evaluation medicals for thosewho join after sick leaves,medicalfitness certificates for work, adultvaccinations and travelmedicine,dental medicals, wellness pro-grammes and many more,” in-forms Dr Laura Elena Tepelus,Medical Director ofOccupational

Health International.The medical professionals at

OHI also advise companies onways to improve the health of itsemployees and thereby reducesick leaves and increase their pro-ductivity. They monitor carefullythe effect of the work on the em-ployees’ health and the effect oftheir health status on the workquality. Based on the findings,OHI physicians also provide treat-ment andmonitor the employees’

health status, which includes gen-eral medical cases like diabetes,high blood pressure, etc.“If you expect high productivity

you should make sure your em-ployees are healthy, satisfied andmaintain their health status with-out the workplace affecting itnegatively. This is especially rel-evant in high risk industries likeoil and gas, chemical production,constructions etc. where workersare exposed to high risk factors,”says Dr Tepelus, a specialist inOccupational Medicine and ac-credited as OGUK (Oil and GasUK) and Norwegian approvedDoctor for offshore medicals.Furthermore, Dr Tepelus is alsoaccredited as aeromedical exam-iner and OHI is in process of ap-plying for GCAA approval.OHI is ISO 9001:2008 and

OHSAS 18001:2007 certifiedand all its services are conductedto the highest quality standards.Working closely with the HumanResources and Health and Safetydepartments of various interna-tional and local companies, OHIprovides healthcare programmessuited to their requirements.“The quality of services we of-

fer is the most important objec-tive for the entire team and wewill never compromise on it. Wetreat patients in thewaywewouldlike to be treated when we visitother healthcare providers. Andwe help employers getting highproductivity with a healthy work-force,” assures Dr Tepelus.More services and branches of

OHI are also in the offing.

Ensuring the health ofemployeesAdvisory services bymedical professionalsat OHI helpcompanies reducesick leaves andincrease productivityof its workers

Occupational Health International

DrLauraElenaTepelus

K H A L E E J T I M E S | A DV E RT I S I N G S U P P L E M E N T

khaleej times Tuesday, april 30, 2013

[866424]

Blue collared workers, corporate exec-utives or floor mechanics — their healthis now being accorded top priority in AbuDhabi. With organisations such as Ambu-latory Healthcare Services, the mandateoutlined in Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 thatplaces the employee at the core of thecountry’s economic well-being is beinggiven top most priority through a multi-disciplinary offering that is termed ‘oc-cupational healthcare’.

In Abu Dhabi, the concept of occupa-tional healthcare has taken on a moresignificant connotation with the emiratebeing home to over 1.4 million workersin diverse sectors, as stated by the Statis-tics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) in 2011.More importantly, nationals and expatri-ates are engaged in diverse jobs that offerexciting opportunities and challenges.The rapidly expanding industrial sectorand growing number of workers in AbuDhabi call for the provision of integratedoccupational health services and safeworking environment and practices.

As guardians of the health of Abu Dha-bi residents, Ambulatory Healthcare Ser-vices has assumed a moral responsibilityto provide holistic occupational health-care to help organisations maintain thehighest level of physical, mental and so-cial wellbeing of its employees across alllocations and ranks. The approach notonly ensures a fit workforce and conse-quently higher productivity but also pro-vides an assurance on a personal levelthat the welfare of any given employee iswell safeguarded.

Towards this end, Ambulatory Health-care Services (AHS-SEHA) has estab-lished a network of occupational health-

care clinics within its facilities acrossAbu Dhabi. AHS occupational centresoffer organisations a range of servicesincluding:

Health assessment of Industrial•workers including pre-employment,periodic, change of job, post sick-nessHigh risk work groups as food han-•dlers, public transport drivers, bar-bers, slaughter house workers amongothersSelf-employed individuals seeking•occupational healthcare assess-mentsManagement and counselling of ex-•isting occupational illnesses/disor-ders to minimise effects of diseaseand prevent further exposure toknown hazards.In-house/ onsite training and health•education for clients, industrialworkers and employers.

Adding to its portfolio of patient-cen-tric offerings, AHS recently launched theAl Madina Occupational Health Centreat the Madinat Zayed District in AbuDhabi. The first of its kind facility dedi-cated to occupational health is licensedby the Health Authority Abu Dhabi. Openfrom Sunday through Thursday from7am to 3pm, the clinic features a state-of-the-art laboratory for audiometry,spirometry, vision testing and radiology.

Audiometry tests are carried out onemployees that are regularly exposed toloud noise, while the lung function testsexamine individuals subjected to envi-ronments with toxic gases, dust andfumes. Vision testing is for professionswhere good vision is required for the pre-vention of accidents. Colour vision test-ing is also available at the centre.

The purpose-built building, located inpleasant surroundings, is equipped to ca-ter to large clientele. The new depart-ment is fitted out with specific waitingareas for male and female clients. Twooccupational health specialists, a pulmo-nary disease specialist and a generalpractitioner staff the facility. The supportfunction includes two nurses, an occupa-tional health technician, phlebotomistand a radiographer. Organisations benefitfrom the consultancy provided by thenew facility on how to take precautionarymeasures against exposure to work-relat-ed diseases and hazards. The workers us-ing the facilities of the clinic receive basicfitness advice for achieving an optimumwork-life balance.

AHS has also rolled out occupationalhealth services in the Eastern Region ofAbu Dhabi. The department, which hasbeen newly established, is located withinthe Disease Prevention and ScreeningCentre in Al Ain.

In response to requests from patrons inAl Qua and Al Wagan areas, AHS is offer-ing free transportation to clients availingvisa screening services from Sunday toThursday, 7am to 3pm, at its DiseasePrevention and Screening Centre in AlAin. The two districts are located 10-15km apart on the outskirts of Al Ain.Available on first come serve basis, theshuttle leaves from the AHS HealthcareCentres in Al Qua (7.15am) and Al Wa-gan (8am).

The first organisation across the worldto achieve the ‘network accreditation’from Joint Commission International(JCI), AHS offers services that are notonly in line with healthcare regulations inthe UAE but also at par with global bestpractices.

For more information, visit http://dpsc.ahs.ae or call 800-2-AHS (247).

located on the outskirts of the in-dustrial areas of Jebel Ali, CEDARS —Jebel Ali International Hospital startedoperations in 1999. Formerly known asJebel Ali Medical Centre, the hospital isa pioneer in the field of OccupationalHealth (OH) in Dubai. In early days of itsoperation, the doctors figured out a trendin the patients visiting the hospital. Alarge number of patients came from aspecific company or industry and suf-fered with similar symptoms or condi-tions like eczema or respiratory prob-lems.

On close examination, the doctors re-alised they could not ignore work placeconditions if they were to treat patientsfrom this particular area.

Back then, the OH rules in the countrywere in its infancy and almost nothingwas implemented except for the verybare minimum. There was hardly a con-cept of preventive health care. Thesefacts made the hospital realise that its

strategic location and the obvious lack ofexpertise in OH posed a tremendous op-portunity not just in terms of businessdevelopment but also for creating aware-ness by bearing the flagship of a lesserknown discipline. The hospital soon rea-lised that with the rapid growth beingobserved in the region, preventive healthalong with OH and safety would becomethe buzzword in the Middle East not toofar into the future. And it was right.

The first Occupational HealthDepartment

In 2001, the hospital set up its first fullycomprehensive OH clinic in the countrywith the first OH physician licensed bythe local health authority. Today, the OHdepartment is headed by Dr MarianMelanie Jan Leys who has many years ofexperience as a consultant for Occupa-tional Medicine for a variety of clients inindustry and government in Belgiumand the UAE. Her responsibility involvesinspection visits to workplace, risk analy-sis and development of medical preven-tion programmes according to companyspecific requirements, research and sta-tistical analysis of work-related risk, im-plementationofvaccinationprogrammesand tuberculosis screening programmes,diagnosis of work-related pathology,evaluation of fitness to work of employ-ees and advice on the use of collectiveand personal protection equipment. CE-DARS — Jebel Ali International Hospitalhas obtained accreditation by Joint Com-mission International (JCI) in 2012.www.cedars-jaih.com

OccupaTiOnal HealTH ServiceS khaleej times / ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

connecting thedots

Healthyworkforce, ahealthyeconomy

Jebel Ali InternationalHospital is the pioneer inthe field of occupationalhealth in Dubai

Ambulatory HealthcareServices has assumedresponsibility to provideholistic occupationalhealthcare to helporganisations

DrMarianleys,HeadofOccupationalHealthDepartmentatceDarSJebelaliinternationalHospital,withapatient