Today Emirates, the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention and Pfizer Upjohn announced the launch of a multifaceted patient education campaign designed to increase health literacy and public awareness about the global health threat of non-communicable disease (NCDs). Today, NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, and smoking-related disease are considered the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Fortunately, many of these premature deaths can be averted through access to high quality prescription medicines and patient education that encourage positive lifestyle changes. In keeping with this strategy, the campaign, entitled “Health Matters with Dr Adam” consists of an animated series of videos featuring Bill, Jill, Will, and Phil – otherwise known as the ‘Ill’ family– who embark on a health and wellness journey guided by a character named Dr Adam and a group of health and wellness specialists. The videos contain simple tips and messages that encourage individuals to adopt preventative health behaviours and habits, ultimately helping them lead longer, healthier and more productive lives.

The campaign was developed by Upjohn, a Pfizer division, in collaboration with Emirates Airline and the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention. ‘Health Matters with Dr. Adam’ was unveiled today at a launch event attended by  H.E. Dr. Amin Al Amiri: Assistant Undersecretary of the Public Health Sector and Licensing Policy – MOHAP; Amrit Ray, Global President, Research and Development and Medical at Upjohn, a Pfizer division; Menassie Taddese, President at Upjohn in Emerging Markets; Ayman Mokhtar, General Manager at Upjohn in Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), and Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, along with other key stakeholders in the medical community.

The videos are currently airing on ice, Emirates’ in-flight entertainment system, complementing the airline’s existing content on its health and wellness channels. Emirates will also be rolling out the videos to its 105,000-strong global workforce as part of its workplace wellbeing programme.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer said: ‘Today’s launch is just one of the ways we are supporting both our employees and customers to cultivate healthy habits for their long-term wellbeing. Through our workplace wellbeing programme, we aim to provide appropriate guidance and resources, promote initiatives, and enable direct channels of communication to improve the health and wellbeing of our employees. Ultimately, looking after the wellbeing and happiness of our workforce is a good and valuable investment to ensure we have a strong, thriving long-term outcome at work and at home.

Al Redha added: “Our customers’ choices and preferences are always a top priority when it comes to the content that we curate on ice. Health and wellbeing and holistic healthcare have become increasingly topical across all customer demographics and lifestyles, and we hope that the ‘Health Matters’ video series will provide useful information to our customers during their flight, day to day activities , and encourage them to adopt good, healthy habits to enjoy better lives.”

The Emirates Group has a number of scheduled employee events, initiatives and practices focused on empowering its peoples’ overall wellbeing. It also has health focused content on its internal employee portal so they can integrate tips and techniques into their work and life. There are also more than 40 different sports and lifestyle activities managed and run by Emirates Group employees throughout the year.

Amrit Ray, M.D., Pfizer Upjohn’s Global President, Research, Development and Medical, said: “Unfortunately, we live in a world in which over 71% of global deaths are due to NCDs, despite the fact that many of these chronic conditions are treatable and preventable. Patients are at the heart of our work at Upjohn, and we are committed to working with global stakeholders to relieve the burden these devastating diseases have on patients, families and our communities. Upjohn is proud to partner with Emirates Airline and the UAE Ministry of Health to amplify our mutual goal of increasing health literacy, thereby encouraging prevention and early detection of NCDs, improved self-care, and better health and wellness outcomes.”

Building on Upjohn’s commitment to holistic healthcare education, the campaign videos were designed by Upjohn to lead the conversation on NCDs through easy-to-understand medical content and facts. All research was carried out by trusted medical experts, backed by industry leaders, as well as mainstream, peer-reviewed medical journals. The content was also reviewed by the Ministry of Health and Prevention in the UAE.

HE Dr. Amin Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing Sector at the Ministry of Health & Prevention said: “Despite significant medical advancements, NCDs, such as cardiovascular disease, continue to be the leading causes of death and disability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that NCDs account for 71% of all deaths worldwide and 85% of deaths in emerging markets. A number of initiatives have already been spearheaded by the UAE to reduce number of deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the country by 2021.”

The campaign’s core messages focusing on health, wellbeing and happiness are aligned with the pillars of the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to achieve a world-class healthcare system that is essential to a happy society. It also underscores the importance of preventive medicine, which seeks to reduce lifestyle related diseases to ensure a longer, healthier life for all citizens and residents, ultimately helping the UAE to climb the global ranks when it comes to quality of healthcare.