The Obesity Clinic team at the Royal Hospital’s National Diabetes and Endocrine Center (NDEC) celebrated recently the World Obesity Day in collaboration with the Oman Diabetes Association. The celebration was held at Majan Hotel and took the World year slogan: “fight obesity now to prevent complications in the future”. The event came under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki AlSaid, Director General of Marketing and Media at the Public Authority for Investment Promotion & Development, with the attendance of H.E. Sayyid Sultan Ya’rub Al Busaidi, Ministry of Health Advisor for Health Affairs, in addition to several officials from the MOH and Royal Hospital. The participants were among NDEC staff and a total 150 attendants including patients with obesity and their relatives.

The activity marks the fourth NDEC gathering that involved people with obesity after three successful similar campaigns. It is a way to express thanks appreciation and rewards the patients for their achievements in managing their weight in healthy way. It encourages them to maintain their results and send a message to others to gain knowledge and listen to their real day-to-day experiences.

It is worth to mention that the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center received more than 2000 obese patient in the last 3 years. These patients visit the obesity clinic and are taken through the multidisciplinary team, which includes doctor, nurses, dieticians, counselors, and clinical exercise. Recently bariatric surgeon joined the team .The patients are followed up regularly and encouraged at each visit to keep up the struggle to lose weight and fight their way to health.

The ceremony started with a speech from Dr.NoorAl Busaidi, the director of the NDEC Director and president of the Oman Diabetes Association. She expressed the world growing concerns from the widespread of the Disease in all ages and among both genders, and elaborated on its effects at the individual level and for the country and economy as a whole. She also stressed on the important role that awareness plays in society.

Following the speech, health educational lectures were delivered on several focus areas regarding the surgical procedures used in extreme obesity and mental health effects in obesity patients. The educational program ended up with several motivational materials that help encourage patients to take up exercise.

At the end of the celebration, awards were given to 25 patients whom they succeeded in losing the greatest amount of weight under the supervision of the

Obesity clinic specialists. Among the awarded is a patient who has successfully shed off more than 80Kgs of his body weight in a year time. Those who have reached to their ideal weight and those who were able to maintain their lost weight were also awarded.