WorldCare officials announced plans Tuesday to develop the largest wellness center in the Middle East, which is to be modeled after the Duke Diet and Fitness Center.
The center, which is expected to open in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2010, will be led by health care corporation WorldCare Limited through its affiliate, the Dubai Healthcare City, in conjunction with Duke University Health System and Partners HealthCare System-the leading teaching institution of Harvard Medical School.
It was set up largely in response to a growing obesity epidemic in the region, said Molly O'Neill, vice president of business development and chief strategic planning officer for DUHS.
The $1-billion WorldCare Wellness Center will play an important role in the prevention of the growth of diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices, she said.
"Over 80 percent of the [Persian Gulf region] adult population is suffering from sedentary diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking related illnesses and obesity," O'Neill said, adding that the center aims to slow trends that reflect changing lifestyles in the Middle East.
In addition to residents of the region, the center is likely to also attract Europeans, and experts of Mediterranean cuisine will be consulted to develop appropriate food choices, she said.
Like Duke's program, the Dubai center will offer medically supervised, residential initiatives targeting the morbidly obese.
Among other features, the new center plans to offer a 400-room five-star hotel, a prevention and screening program, medical spa and weight-management program.
The center will focus on the cultural components of the Middle East to address the lifestyles of its patients said Nasser Menhall, CEO of WorldCare, in a statement Tuesday.
Coordinating treatment through academic consortiums with Duke and Harvard will provide the Dubai center access to as many as 3,500 physicians and specialists.
A "tele-medicine" program will employ these international ties to promote novel treatment methods, including genetic screening, to more fully determine predisposition to diseases, Menhall said.
In addition to evolving lifestyle programs, the center reflects Dubai's developing role as a leading destination for health care for the Middle East, O'Neill said.
WorldCare was established in 1992 to promote technology transfer, employing a broad range of expert, clinical, pharmaceutical clinical trial, consulting and continuing medical education services.
"We are delighted to be part of the phenomenal growth of Dubai Healthcare City," Menhall said. "We believe our center will serve the needs of the region for scientifically based programs to improve their health before the onset of serious diseases."
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