The major achievements made by the UAE on the path to leadership in the fields of medical care and rehabilitation, especially those related to People of Determination is a large part of the agenda of the medical conference being organized as part of the activities of the AccessAbilities Expo in its fifth edition. 

Specialists in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, nurses, and nutritionists will participate in the Medical Conference which will be held on October 9-10. The conference, which is organized by AccessAbilities Expo and the MENA Organization for Rare Diseases, aims to enhance awareness of the medical needs of People of Determination and healthcare appropriate to their needs. It is to highlight the best international practices in this field,  social and rehabilitation services, clinical research, and future treatments, in addition to shedding light on rare diseases endemic in the Middle East. 

The importance of this conference stems from the fact that it constitutes a scientific platform that brings together a number of the best doctors and experts, to discuss the medical challenges and health problems faced by more than 50 million people with Special Needs living in the Middle East, and to inform society about diseases and genetic disorders that lead to disability. The conference provides the participants with the opportunity to obtain CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits, in addition to learning about the latest methods of health care and rehabilitation and strengthening their network of relations with the community of People of Determination. The conference will also discuss the latest clinical research aimed at facilitating access to accurate diagnoses and access to innovative treatment methods. 

Ghassan Suleiman, CEO of AccessAbilites Expo, said: “The organization of this conference comes as a commitment from us to create a specialized platform to educate the community of People of Determination and medical care providers, with the aim of sharing minds and exchanging visions on the best methods of medical care and searching for appropriate solutions   to keep pace   with the challenges   facing this segment.”   The Middle East region is one of the geographical regions in the world that 

has the highest prevalence rates of rare diseases, especially hereditary diseases. The Centre for Arab Genomic Studies in Dubai estimates that about 2.8 million patients 
suffer from 2,297 rare diseases across the Arab countries, which costs government and private sector budgets billions of dirhams annually to improve their lives. 

Professor Ayman El-Hattab, Founder and President of the MENA Organization for Rare Diseases, said a large percentage of People of Determination suffer from rare genetic diseases. Because of the rarity of these diseases, affected individuals may have difficulty obtaining appropriate healthcare. From here, this conference comes to provide the latest information related to health and rehabilitation care to healthcare providers to increase the level of knowledge to raise the level of care provided to People of Determination and rare diseases. In addition, the meeting will discuss research experiences and their role in improving diagnosis and treatment for rare diseases.” 

According to the WHO, there can be a return of approximately US$10 for every US$1 spent implementing comprehensive disability prevention and non-communicable disease care. People with Special Needs make up between 10-15 percent of the total world population, and their total number reaches 1.3 billion.