Awareness-raising stressed about diabetes

PESHAWAR: A meeting of the Diabetes Task Force was convened under the chairmanship of Advisor to Health, Ihtesham Ali on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Dr. A.H. Amir, former Project Director of D-Talk and Insulin for Life, Dr. Babar Alam, Head of WHO KP Office, representatives from the Finance and P&D departments, and other members of the task force.

The health advisor emphasized the critical importance of raising public awareness about diabetes prevention.He instructed the relevant authorities to utilize all public communication platforms to ensure widespread awareness among the masses.

Highlighting the alarming prevalence of diabetes in the province, he termed it a warning sign and directed the officials to take immediate preventive measures.“Diabetes is the root cause of numerous health issues. Public awareness about this disease is almost negligible, and we aim to integrate information on diabetes prevention into school textbooks,” Ihtisham Ali added.

During the meeting, it was shared that, according to the World Health Organization, the diabetes prevalence rate in Pakistan stood at 30 per cent affecting approximately 33 million people.

Additionally, it was noted that diabetes reduces life expectancy by 5 to 10 years. Pakistan ranks as the third-highest country in the world with the largest diabetic population, and the disease is rapidly spreading across society.