Dr Nitin Verma talks about developing Paediatric allergy services in Dubai

In celebration of #WorldAllergyWeek, and as the NHS celebrates its 70th Birthday #NHS70, we thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase stories from our Healthcare Professional Members about their work.

Our Healthcare Professional Membership scheme is open to people working in healthcare both within, and outside the UK. We caught up with Dr Nitin Verma who moved over to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in September 2017 after spending 14 years of his life working in the NHS; the last 4 years of which as a paediatric consultant with an interest in allergy at County Durham & Darlington NHS trust.

Nitin said “Talking to people, families and medics in the UAE, I was informed that there is a lot of scope in terms of educating the wider public on management and prevention of allergies in children.”

He has joined Kings College Hospital London Clinic in Jumeirah, Dubai, and is actively developing a paediatric allergy service in the clinic and for the Dubai region.

He added “I believe it’s my social responsibility to share my expertise with the wider public. In a clinical setting I may be able to reach a few anxious parents, carers and patients, so I started a website to enable me to reach out to anyone and everyone who wants to know more about allergy in children.”

Nitin is actively engaged in working with schools in the UAE, to increase the awareness of ‘recognition and management of anaphylaxis’ in children with allergies. He is also steadily working with nurseries in Dubai by organising coffee mornings for interactive sessions with parents on managing allergies in childhood.

Last year, Nitin was interviewed by the e-news section of Gulf News (the largest e-newspaper in UAE) to raise awareness about managing anaphylaxis and the correct techniques for using adrenaline auto-injectors. A short video of the interview was published on the e-portal of Gulf News in September 2017.