Ministry to mark World Health Day with special activities

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will mark the World Health Day with the participation of  several healthcare organisations and a number of activities over the next week and a year-long special diabetes awareness programmes. The details of the event were announced yesterday by the Health Ministry. Held under the theme “Eat Healthy Be Active”  and with the participation of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA), Action on Diabetes (AoD) and a number of private hospitals, the events aim to achieve the National Diabetes Strategy slogan “Preventing Diabetes Together”.Meanwhile, HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, said: “Qatar pays special attention to diabetes particularly because 17% of adults in Qatar are diabetic. Diabetes is number four in the top causes of deaths in Qatar within the last decade. For that reason, we have launched Qatar’s National Diabetes Strategy 2016-2022, to create a developed vision for diabetic healthcare and define a way of improving health and wellness in Qatar in order to reduce the numbers of people who suffer from the disease.”According to Dr Salih Ali al-Marri from MoPH, the diabetes figure represents more than double the burden of the disease on a global scale rate. “It is also expected that the number of people with diabetes will be doubled by the year 2045 unless appropriate action aiming to limit the spread of the disease is in place,” he added.In 2014 the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be 9% among adults aged 18 and above, while the prevalence of diabetes in the Eastern Mediterranean region is estimated to be 13.7% among adults.Al-Marri said that Qatar has started to take the appropriate action to control the epidemic by launching the national strategy. “This will be implemented during the next seven years to reduce the incidence of diabetes, provide high quality of services and to lessen the complications and mortality. Implementation of the strategy has begun through the formation of a National Diabetes Committee and three sub-committees to oversee the 41 projects within the strategy,” he noted.HMC will hold diabetes screening in all its hospitals without appointments during the World Health Day activities. HMC will set up two tents in the Wakrah Souq Waqif and Al Khor Park tomorrow to screen diabetes for the public and counsel diabetics. There will also be demonstration of exercises and walking for the public in Wakrah Souq Waqif.PHCC will hold diabetes screening to the public in all health centres without appointments and health promotion and awareness lectures on diabetes will be held in some selected schools. QDA will operate their mobile clinic at Aspire Park tomorrow and will also organise Youth Challenge Diabetes Camp 2016, from April 9 to 13 while AoD will organise a mobile clinic in Katara tomorrow. Participating private hospitals also will screen the public for diabetes without appointment.