Call for major diabetes awareness drive
Riyadh, May 25, 2013
With almost 25 per cent of Saudi adults between the ages of 30-70 suffering with diabetes, there is an urgent need to raise public awareness through on-going training of healthcare professionals, said experts.
Local medical experts from the field of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diabetes held meetings in three cities across Saudi Arabia this week.
Internationally renowned expert Prof Mohamed M. Hassanein, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Glan Clwyd Hospital, Wales, spoke on the benefits of adherence, therapy adjustment and patient education in managing diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus rates in Saudi are a major public health problem. According to recent data carried out in the Gulf, only 19 per cent of people living with diabetes in the region are psychologically committed to managing their diabetes.
The speaker tour held at Jeddah, Riyadh and Khobar was chaired by leading Saudi endocrinologist Dr Mourad Al-Mourad, Consultant & Senior Advisor to The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program at the Ministry of Health.
Hosted by LifeScan, part of the Johnson and Johnson family of companies, through its legal Saudi distributor The Saudi Import Company, the speaker tour was one part of a wider range of initiatives organised by the company designed to support healthcare professionals in the mutual goal of improving patient education on best management practice for diabetes patients.
"Our goal as healthcare professionals is to improve patients’ outcomes. For people living with diabetes and their families, it’s vital they understand when their diabetes is well controlled; their quality of life will also improve," said Dr Mourad Al-Mourad.
"We know that the patient plays a key role in managing their diabetes, through a number of measures such as regular self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and adherence to prescribed treatments," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
