Diabetes awareness

Islamabad: The Diabetes Centre (TDC) joined hands with several partners here Saturday to organize ‘The Diabetes Awareness Run’ highlighting the importance of getting tested for diabetes, eating healthy, and staying active.

The purpose of the campaign, which is titled, ‘Become a Hero,’ was to educate citizens about diabetes, how its onset affects us, and how it can be prevented by adopting a better lifestyle. Interactions were held with the public to express solidarity with those unfortunate enough to be afflicted with this disease.

The event was arranged by TDC in collaboration with the City Administration, Eighteen, National Press Club and ‘Islamabad Run with Us.’ Pakistan’s first welfare hospital specializing in diabetes, TDC has served more than 225,000 patient visits since its inception in 2011, with 60% of the patients getting free diagnostic and treatment facilities. Most importantly, TDC has saved more than 2,350 feet from amputation and has saved 24,000 patients from blindness through fundo scans.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and lower limb amputation and every 4th Pakistani is suffering from it, which is creating an alarming situation in the country. An estimated 1.5 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes in the past few years and the tally is devastating.

Diabetes is a global epidemic, and the quantum of diabetes care is still far from adequate in Pakistan. According to WHO, approximately 6% of the world’s populations – more than 420 million people – live with either type I or type II diabetes. The awareness run, which started from National Press Club terminated at E-7 Markaz, Islamabad. The run covered sectors F-6, F-7 and E-7, where awareness booths were placed with specialized doctors encouraged residents to increase their daily physical activity.

Addressing the seminar, Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat expressed grave concern over the rapid increase in the number of diabetic patients in Pakistan. “Diabetes is the mother of all diseases as it is also triggering a rise in incidences of other diseases including paralysis, loss of eyesight, kidney, and heart complications,” he said. Chairman TDC Dr. Asjad Hameed said, “Our aim is to increase diabetes awareness, education and health care delivery, and to provide standard clinical services to diabetic patients from all over Pakistan under one roof, irrespective of their ability to pay.”

Talking to the media, the CEO of TDC Tahir Abbasi said, We provide systematic care to ensure effective diagnosis, treatment, management, and education of patients with diabetes type 1 and 2, endocrine disorders and associated risks of diabetes.”

TDC is determined to reduce diabetes-related complexities by providing continuous medical care through multifactorial risk-reduction strategies including glycemic control, ongoing patient self-management education, and support in preventing diabetic patients from critical and acute complications and reducing the risk of long-term complications. Along with providing comprehensive diagnostic, curative and rehabilitative services, TDC makes efforts to spread awareness about the disease and help lower the burden of the disease through prevention.