Peshawar
The Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter and Prime Foundation commemorated “World Diabetes Day” at Kuwait Teaching Hospital (KTH), Peshawar.
Experts of the fields in endocrinology & diabetes, juvenile (child) diabetes, gestational (pregnancy induced) diabetes, limbs & wounds; and eye care talked about various aspects of the multisystem disease.
According to the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF), diabetes will be responsible for 400,000 deaths in the country in the year 2021- the highest number in the Middle-East and North Africa Region.
The IDF claimed that Pakistan now has the third highest number of people living with diabetes in the world, after China (141 million) and India (74 million).
Meanwhile, Dr Sobia Sabir Ali, the renowned endocrine specialist of Prime Foundation informed the audience that diabetes was fast spreading in our country affecting almost every 5th countryman and required concerned effort from us all to reduce the associated disability, deaths and loss of economic productivity.
Dr Sabahat Amir of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH), stressed upon the people for timely screening by the diabetic families of their children also in the wake of rise in juvenile diabetes that required more rigorous treatment and regular supply of the injectable insulin that was short in supply and was quite costly to afford by the poverty stricken people of our society.
She said that the “Insulin for Life Program” of the KP is a hope and its inclusion in Sehat Sahulat could do wonders.
She shared that the prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan has increased significantly as 33 million adults are now living with diabetes with an increase of 70 per cent.
Dr Aziz Zia, the director of the PF allied hospitals welcomed and thanked the event resource persons, logistics facilitators and the participants for making the event a success.
