Occupational Health Services

Tuesday, april 30, 2013 khaleej times

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

Occupational Health International

Ensuring the health of employees

Care at work Occupational health services can prove to be a major support to organisations Sadiq Shaban

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s a specialised branch of medicine that focuses on health in the workplace, occupational health has gained traction over the years. The service mainly targets the physical and mental well-being of employees by highlighting work-related illnesses and accidents, carrying out medical tests of employees and monitoring their overall health. Occupational health services can prove to be a major support to organisations since the services are available to only 10-15 per

cent of workers worldwide.

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians, UK, notes that occupational health should aim at the promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations; the prevention among workers of departures from health caused by their working conditions; placement and maintenance of a worker in an occupational environment adapted to his physiological and psychological equipment and, to summarise, the adaption of work to people and of each person to their job.

With nearly a third of the population spending its time in the workplace, the UAE is known to have one of the highest incidences of lifestyle diseases. The country is now gearing up to lead the region in setting up occupational health services. Various firms are taking the opinion of occupational health specialists in determin-

ing how to manage a capability issue. Pertinently the region’s first occupational health clinic started in Dubai in 2011.

Occupational health services in the country offer screening, vaccinations, treatment and education to employees besides encouraging employers to adopt best practices in the workplace.

Organisations are also offered consultancy services on how to take precautionary measures against exposure to work-related diseases and hazards to ensure the well-being of employees. As the trend catches up further, bigger organisations in the UAE are likely to employ its own occupational health specialists in future.

This might be supplemented by having part-time doctors who carry out medicals and other assessments within an organisation.

Many firms in the UAE have started taping into external provider of occupational health services as per their requirements.

— sadiq@khaleejtimes.com

Advisory services by medical professionals at OHI help companies reduce sick leaves and increase productivity of its workers Latha Krishnan OccupatiOnal Health International Clinic (OHI), a joint venture and partnership between Occucare International-USA and Gulf Healthcare InternationalDubai, began operations in Dubai in 2011 and deals with work related to medicine — preventive medicine as well as general medical cases.

“We are a dedicated occupational medical facility, taking care of the health of employees from basic to executive level. Our services range from prevention to treatment and monitoring and include everything from pre-employment medical check-ups to deployment medicals, periodical medical check-ups, return to work re-evaluation medicals for those who join after sick leaves, medical fitness certificates for work, adult vaccinations and travel medicine, dental medicals, wellness programmes and many more,” informs Dr Laura Elena Tepelus, Medical Director of Occupational

Dr Laura Elena Tepelus Health International.

The medical professionals at OHI also advise companies on ways to improve the health of its employees and thereby reduce sick leaves and increase their productivity. They monitor carefully the effect of the work on the employees’ health and the effect of their health status on the work quality. Based on the findings, OHI physicians also provide treatment and monitor the employees’

health status, which includes general medical cases like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

“If you expect high productivity you should make sure your employees are healthy, satisfied and maintain their health status without the workplace affecting it negatively. This is especially relevant in high risk industries like oil and gas, chemical production, constructions etc. where workers are exposed to high risk factors,” says Dr Tepelus, a specialist in Occupational Medicine and accredited as OGUK (Oil and Gas UK) and Norwegian approved Doctor for offshore medicals.

Furthermore, Dr Tepelus is also accredited as aeromedical examiner and OHI is in process of applying for GCAA approval.

OHI is ISO 9001:2008 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certified and all its services are conducted to the highest quality standards.

Working closely with the Human Resources and Health and Safety departments of various international and local companies, OHI provides healthcare programmes suited to their requirements.

“The quality of services we offer is the most important objective for the entire team and we will never compromise on it. We treat patients in the way we would like to be treated when we visit other healthcare providers. And we help employers getting high productivity with a healthy workforce,” assures Dr Tepelus.

More services and branches of OHI are also in the offing.

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khaleej times Tuesday, april 30, 2013

OccupaTiOnal HealTH ServiceS

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Healthy workforce, a healthy economy Ambulatory Healthcare Services has assumed responsibility to provide holistic occupational healthcare to help organisations Dr Marian leys, Head of Occupational Health Department at ceDarS Jebel ali international Hospital, with a patient

Blue collared workers, corporate executives or floor mechanics — their health is now being accorded top priority in Abu Dhabi. With organisations such as Ambulatory Healthcare Services, the mandate outlined in Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 that places the employee at the core of the country’s economic well-being is being given top most priority through a multidisciplinary offering that is termed ‘occupational healthcare’.

In Abu Dhabi, the concept of occupational healthcare has taken on a more significant connotation with the emirate being home to over 1.4 million workers in diverse sectors, as stated by the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) in 2011.

More importantly, nationals and expatriates are engaged in diverse jobs that offer exciting opportunities and challenges.

The rapidly expanding industrial sector and growing number of workers in Abu Dhabi call for the provision of integrated occupational health services and safe working environment and practices.

As guardians of the health of Abu Dhabi residents, Ambulatory Healthcare Services has assumed a moral responsibility to provide holistic occupational healthcare to help organisations maintain the highest level of physical, mental and social wellbeing of its employees across all locations and ranks. The approach not only ensures a fit workforce and consequently higher productivity but also provides an assurance on a personal level that the welfare of any given employee is well safeguarded.

Towards this end, Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS-SEHA) has established a network of occupational health-

care clinics within its facilities across Abu Dhabi. AHS occupational centres offer organisations a range of services including: • Health assessment of Industrial workers including pre-employment, periodic, change of job, post sickness • High risk work groups as food handlers, public transport drivers, barbers, slaughter house workers among others • Self-employed individuals seeking occupational healthcare assessments • Management and counselling of existing occupational illnesses/disorders to minimise effects of disease and prevent further exposure to known hazards.

• In-house/ onsite training and health education for clients, industrial workers and employers.

Adding to its portfolio of patient-centric offerings, AHS recently launched the Al Madina Occupational Health Centre at the Madinat Zayed District in Abu Dhabi. The first of its kind facility dedicated to occupational health is licensed by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi. Open from Sunday through Thursday from 7am to 3pm, the clinic features a stateof-the-art laboratory for audiometry, spirometry, vision testing and radiology.

Audiometry tests are carried out on employees that are regularly exposed to loud noise, while the lung function tests examine individuals subjected to environments with toxic gases, dust and fumes. Vision testing is for professions where good vision is required for the prevention of accidents. Colour vision testing is also available at the centre.

The purpose-built building, located in pleasant surroundings, is equipped to cater to large clientele. The new department is fitted out with specific waiting areas for male and female clients. Two occupational health specialists, a pulmonary disease specialist and a general practitioner staff the facility. The support function includes two nurses, an occupational health technician, phlebotomist and a radiographer. Organisations benefit from the consultancy provided by the new facility on how to take precautionary measures against exposure to work-related diseases and hazards. The workers using the facilities of the clinic receive basic fitness advice for achieving an optimum work-life balance.

AHS has also rolled out occupational health services in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi. The department, which has been newly established, is located within the Disease Prevention and Screening Centre in Al Ain. In response to requests from patrons in Al Qua and Al Wagan areas, AHS is offering free transportation to clients availing visa screening services from Sunday to Thursday, 7am to 3pm, at its Disease Prevention and Screening Centre in Al Ain. The two districts are located 1015km apart on the outskirts of Al Ain. Available on first come serve basis, the shuttle leaves from the AHS Healthcare Centres in Al Qua (7.15am) and Al Wagan (8am).

The first organisation across the world to achieve the ‘network accreditation’ from Joint Commission International (JCI), AHS offers services that are not only in line with healthcare regulations in the UAE but also at par with global best practices.

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

connecting the dots

Jebel Ali International Hospital is the pioneer in the field of occupational health in Dubai located on the outskirts of the industrial areas of Jebel Ali, CEDARS — Jebel Ali International Hospital started operations in 1999. Formerly known as Jebel Ali Medical Centre, the hospital is a pioneer in the field of Occupational Health (OH) in Dubai. In early days of its operation, the doctors figured out a trend in the patients visiting the hospital. A large number of patients came from a specific company or industry and suffered with similar symptoms or conditions like eczema or respiratory problems.

On close examination, the doctors realised they could not ignore work place conditions if they were to treat patients from this particular area.

Back then, the OH rules in the country were in its infancy and almost nothing was implemented except for the very bare minimum. There was hardly a concept of preventive health care. These facts made the hospital realise that its

strategic location and the obvious lack of expertise in OH posed a tremendous opportunity not just in terms of business development but also for creating awareness by bearing the flagship of a lesser known discipline. The hospital soon realised that with the rapid growth being observed in the region, preventive health along with OH and safety would become the buzzword in the Middle East not too far into the future. And it was right.

The first Occupational Health Department In 2001, the hospital set up its first fully comprehensive OH clinic in the country with the first OH physician licensed by the local health authority. Today, the OH department is headed by Dr Marian Melanie Jan Leys who has many years of experience as a consultant for Occupational Medicine for a variety of clients in industry and government in Belgium and the UAE. Her responsibility involves inspection visits to workplace, risk analysis and development of medical prevention programmes according to company specific requirements, research and statistical analysis of work-related risk, implementation of vaccination programmes and tuberculosis screening programmes, diagnosis of work-related pathology, evaluation of fitness to work of employees and advice on the use of collective and personal protection equipment. CEDARS — Jebel Ali International Hospital has obtained accreditation by Joint Commission International (JCI) in 2012. www.cedars-jaih.com

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