Under the auspices of His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Bin AbdulAziz Al Rabeeah, the Ministry of Health is celebrating tomorrow, Thursday, the World Diabetes Day 2013, under the theme “Diabetes: Protect our Future”. An awareness day will be held to educate the audience in the Ministry about diabetes, and ways to treat it and prevent it.
The awareness program will take place in the pavilion at the foyer of the MOH Tower I, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., including many subdivisions. These pavilions include a medical consultation corner, where endocrinology and diabetes consultants are participating, a corner for nutritional consultation, where therapeutic nutrition consultants are participating, and a corner for pharmaceutical consultation, where many clinical pharmacists are participating, aside from a special corner for measuring vital biomarkers by nurses. In addition, the pavilion includes a special corner to the conduct electrocardiography tests (ECG) by a technician and another corner to read the ECG scans, as well as a mobile device to measure the ECG.
Moreover, the pavilion includes a special awareness corner, which is responsible for distributing brochures and educational materials, and glucose screening devices. There is, also, a special first aid corner including a specialized coach to educate people about about first aid. Furthermore, health affairs directorates in several regions will implement awareness activities and events targeted at all social categories; where mobile awareness show rooms and pavilions will be organized in centres and shopping malls offering consultation and advice regarding diabetes. Barouches and educational booklets will be distributed; in order to promote health awareness about diabetes and encourage the adoption of health behaviours to deal with it among all social categories.
It is worth mentioning that the Ministry has recently launched the first stage of Saudi National Diabetes Awareness Program, under the theme "Diabetes .. Be Vigilant to it", which will continue for three years; as part of its efforts to promote awareness in the society, and target diabetes patients to raise their awareness about the proper precautions.
It is worth noting that the MOH has 20 registered specialized diabetes healthcare centers, in addition to 8 supporting centers under construction in various regions in the Kingdom.