Mr. Abdullah bin Souqat, Executive Director of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences, said that the award will celebrate the World Rare Disease Day on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at Children's City, Dubai Creek Park. 

 

"The award is proud that Dubai will be fully transformed to a city friendly to people with disabilities by 2020. Such an initiative has crowned the efforts exerted by both the award, throughout the previous five consecutive years in shedding light on rare diseases, and all other the UAE institutions", he said. 

“The award believes in its role in raising awareness among all members of the society on public health, particularly the rare diseases”, he said.

 

“The goals of celebrating the Rare Disease Day are to educate all segments of the society on how to protect their children against this kind of diseases and to take care of patients with rare diseases physically, psychologically and socially, in addition to work on the integration of patients with rare diseases in the society”, he added.

 

“Also, we aim at supporting the families of children with rare diseases spiritually and raise their moral”, Mr. Abdullah Bin Souqat said. 

 

For its part, Dr Fatma Bastaki, Consultant, Pediatrics and Clinical Genetics, and the head of the organizing committee, praised the efforts exerted by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences in shedding light on rare diseases, noting that the celebration will be attended by the families of the children with rare diseases and the officials from the rehabilitation associations for people with special needs in the UAE.

 

“The program of the ceremony will be inaugurated with a religious lecture to be presented by Sheikh Khalid Ismail entitled "It’s a mercy", followed by an interactive sessions for parents to discuss and answer their questions. The session will be held with the participation of Sheikha Dr. Alia AL Qasimi, Director of Care Management and social Integration Community Development Authority, Dr. Leena AL Amiri, Consultant, Child and adolescent Psychiatry, UAE University, Dr. Awatef Al Bahr, Consultant, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Endocrine Infertility, Mr. Rawhi Abdat, Deputy Director of Handicapped and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Social Affairs and Dr. Bushra AL Mulla, expert in health and social care for children with rare diseases”, she said.

 

“In conjunction with the session, the children will enjoy an interesting entertainment program, specially designed for them, under the supervision of a group of volunteers”, she added.

 

“With raising the logo of the rare disease day, the bikes march will kick off at noon from Jumeirah 1 to Dubai Creek Park and then go back to the starting point at 6 pm. The march is held by the UAE Cycling Federation in cooperation with the Emirates Motor Sports federation”, Dr. Fatma Bastaki said.