Dubai to host world cardiology congress

Dubai: Dubai will host the world cardiology congress in 2012, the government said Tuesday.

The biennial congress, organised by the World Heart Federation, gives a platform to the global healthcare community to discuss advances in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

It was first held in Paris in 1950 and Beijing hosted the congress in June this year.

"We are proud to host this congress which will take place for the first time in the UAE and will be attended by over 20,000 delegates from across the world," Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of Dubai Health Authority, said in a statement.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death globally.