PESHAWAR
The Vice-Chancellor (VC) Khyber Medical University (KMU) Dr Zia-ul-Haq on Friday warns against rapid spread of diabetes in the society, saying it is reaching dangerous levels and terming it as a major challenge for health sector of the province.
He was speaking as the chief guest at an awareness and screening event on World Diabetes Day jointly organized by KMU Institute of Public Health (KMU-IPH) and Aims Sugar Hospital Peshawar.
Dr Najma Siddiqui Birmingham University UK, Dr Sana Ajmal, Dr Nadeem Akhtar, Chief Executive Officer Aims Sugar Hospital, Dr Asnaf Qadir (USA), Ms Saba Tanveer, Director IPH Dr Saima Afaq, President Public Health Association Dr Saima Abid, Dr Muhammad Tufail and Dr Jawad Ahmed, besides a large number of health professionals, students and diabetics were also present at the occasion.
VC Dr Zia ul Haq said that in the past we have been focusing more on curative aspects instead of awareness and precautionary measures due to which the incurable disease like diabetes is on the rise in our society which is evidenced by having diabetes in every one person across the globe and four in Pakistan out of ten persons.
KMU has the honor of being the first time that we are focusing on prevention of various ailments along with the treatment which is yielding encouraging results.
He said that it is possible to prevent most communicable and non-communicable diseases including diabetes for which certain precautionary measures have to be taken. Dr Zia ul Haq said that in order to prevent the spread of some other rapidly spreading diseases including diabetes, we have to focus on treatment as well as their prevention through mass awareness campaigns.
He said that diabetes was earlier considered a disease of the elderly and wealthy people but now people of all ages, genders and classes are suffering from it, therefore, as a nation, we have to fight this scourge together as it spreads rapidly.
It is worth mentioning that various stalls were also set up on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day event in which blood screening, eye, dental and foot check-ups of the participants besides large scale awareness were also provided.
