Experts want families learn warning signs of diabetes
Dar es Salaam. Experts have appealed to families to learn more about the warning signs of diabetes and find out their risk of type 2 diabetes during the diabetes awareness month of November.
Inspired by the theme: Family and Diabetes, the global campaign aims to address the growing diabetes burden in all regions. The theme is based on last year’s study by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which indicated parents would struggle to spot this serious life-long condition in their own children.
An awareness campaign has kicked off in the city this month to intensify the efforts to raise awareness up to individuals, families and across the society thanks to stakeholders in health.
In parts of Dar es Salaam, mainly Tegeta and Kariakoo and parts of Kinondoni District, AAR Health care center is deploying mobile clinics where people would be screened for the disease, and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) as part of the major campaign. The initiative is a collaboration between the center and Abel & Fernandes Communications.
A medic from the AAR Healthcare Centre, Dr Akil Msei, says the campaign is a tentative welcome to the global diabetes awareness month during which people will be educated about the disease and how to eat the right food.
“…we will have mobile clinics as well as a breakfast event, whose menu will be considerate of what an individual who has diabetes should eat with all the relevant stakeholders,” says Dr Msei.
The campaign is meant to improve the health service and quality of life of people with diabetes, he says.
According to World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, diabetes is on the rise globally, particularly in low-income countries.
More than 420 million people live with diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death and a major cause of costly and debilitating complications such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and lower limb amputations.
Ms Fatma Fernandes, the Executive director of Abel & Fernandes Communications, believes that if non-medics engage with doctors efforts to ensure proper care to patients with diabetes can reach many parts of the country. “Action starts now”, the first step for the government to advance diabetes care is to increase their efforts to establish national strategies for diabetes, with full implementation and regular monitoring.
“This would also allow for better use of resources, which is essential if the region is to build a successful response to the diabetes epidemic in Tanzania,” she said.
