Friday, November 24th, 2017 saw more than 400 doctors and their family members come together at Habitat School, Ajman to attend the AKMG Emirates Health Carnival, a day dedicated to Family, Fitness, Health, Well-being, Healthy Food and Fun. Members of AKMG Emirates, the largest association of expat doctors in the Gulf, took an Oath on the occasion, to follow the Ten Commandments of Healthy Living.
Coming on the heels of the Dubai Fitness Challenge, this programme underlines the need for doctors to put more focus on taking care of their own health, as embodied in the association’s President’s Theme for 2017, ‘Our Health : Our Wealth’. Increasing workload, occupational stress, prolonged sitting, poor sleep and neglect in getting periodic health check-ups can have adverse effects on physicians, their health, and their ability to provide care of the highest standard. The study by Indian Medical Association, Kerala branch that came out recently, shows that doctors in Kerala die more than a decade earlier than the general population. In the latest version of the Hippocrates Oath adopted by the World Medical Association (WMA) in October, 2017, a new clause has been introduced – “I will attend to my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard”. Physician self-care plays a major role in improving patient care. Also, it has been widely noticed that doctors’ own family members suffer from neglect of and late diagnosis of a variety of diseases.
Putting the health of doctors and their near and dear ones on the forefront, facilities for a comprehensive screening blood test and Tumour profile
screening was provided by the reputed PHD laboratories at a very special price for doctors and their relatives.
There was an array of awareness-raising and rewarding activities and competitions on the day, with the focus on Healthy Lifestyle for the whole family.
President released an “In Case of Emergency” (ICE) Card by giving the first copy to Dr Vineeth Zackaria, who initiated the idea.
A Healthy Cooking Contest for ladies followed by a Cookery show conducted by a Doctor-cum-Chef Dr Rajul Matkar, put across the message of a healthy 
diet being the mainstay of healthy living. Breakast, lunch and snacks served at the venue demonstrated that healthy can be tasty as well.
Painting, Drawing, Poster Designing, Essay writing and Elocution competitions for children of various age groups were conducted to raise awareness and stimulate interest in Healthy Lifestyle.
Group Sessions of Yoga, Zumba, Laughter Yoga and Aerobics were attended and enjoyed by all ages.
Skill games counters added carnival atmosphere to the day.
An ethnic martial arts (Kalari) performance led by Dr Jamaludeen A K added colour and sizzle to the programme.
A presentation on an innovative Breast Cancer Screening App BREXA developed by one of the members, Dr Sreekala Sreehari and a Quiz on First Aid & Healthy Living by Dr Vandana Binu kept the audience glued to their seats in the post lunch session.
The heart saver demo by Dr Biju Ittimani was illustrative and useful.
A mini athletic meet and a cardio challenge zone kept the crowd moving and on their feet.
AKMG Emirates, led by President Dr Hanish Babu, Secretary General Dr Chithra Shamsudheen, Treasurer Dr Feroz Gafoor and President Elect Dr George Jacob called upon the members to continue with the activities focused on self-care and awareness that has been charted for the whole year, like weekend group fitness activities, Stress Management programme, First Aid classes, Basic Life Support courses, health awareness classes for family members, yearly health check up etc.
