The departments of Patient Family Education and Neurology Outpatient within Hamad Medical Corporation’s ( HMC) Neuroscience Institute recently organised World Multiple Sclerosis ( MS) Day with a number of activities held over two days to raise public awareness of multiple sclerosis - one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system or brain and spinal cord.
The awareness campaign featured a main exhibition in the booth set up at Hamad General Hospital’s main entrance to offer information about MS and answer inquiries from staff and hospital visitors about the disease to the campaign team. Visitors also received educational materials and leaflets.
World MS Day falls on every May 30 and it was first initiated in 2009 by the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation and its global members to bring the global MS community together to share stories, raise awareness, campaign .
The theme for World MS Day 2020-23 is ‘Connections’ with emphasis on building community connection, self-connection and connections to quality care. The campaign tagline is ‘I Connect, We Connect’ and the campaign hashtag is #MSConnections.
“We want people with MS and their families or carers to know that they are not alone. The whole world is connected to support them and we provide them with comprehensive MS service. It is an opportunity to advocate for better services, celebrate support networks and champion self-care. So, during our awareness campaign, we provided information about the well-established and comprehensive MS service available at HGH to staff, hospital visitors and the whole community,” explained Dr Ahmed Mohd Abdulla Own, director, Neuroscience Institute.
“Today, 2.9mn people around the world have MS. The disease is an inflammatory demyelinating condition. It is caused by damage to myelin – a fatty material that insulates nerves. In MS, the loss of myelin affects the way nerves conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain. Symptoms can include blurred vision, weak limbs, tingling sensations, unsteadiness, memory problems and fatigue,” Dr Own stated.
Dr Omer Suliman, senior consultant and director of MS Programme, HMC noted that most people with MS are diagnosed between the age of 20 and 40 and that MS is two to three times more common in women than in men. There is no drug that can cure MS, but treatments are available which can modify the course of the disease.
He stated that the Neurology Department at HMC delivers advanced highly specialised care to patients in dedicated MS specialised clinics. “We run six clinics per week to enable the MS patients to avail focused, individualised and world-class treatment in Qatar from expert MS consultants. Multiple sclerosis appointments are scheduled upon referral, with no waiting time. Currently, we provide care for about 2000 people with MS,” he highlighted.
