PUTRAJAYA, Dec 6 – It was an eventful World Diabetes Day (WDD) 2022 in Putrajaya, as the Endocrine Institute of Putrajaya Hospital and Malaysian Endocrine and Metabolic Society (MEMS) worked with Novo Nordisk Pharma Malaysia to raise public awareness on diabetes.
This year’s World Diabetes Day theme is Education to Protect Tomorrow – the theme of the second year of the World Diabetes Day 2021-23 campaign that calls for the need for better access to quality diabetes education for health care professionals and people living with diabetes.
Kicking off the series of educational activities in the morning was the Diabetes Fun Walk around the Putrajaya Hospital vicinity for the public. The run was incorporated with various educational station games about diabetes and its management, which participants need to complete to progress.
Complementing the run was also the Diabetes Fair, which featured numerous educational booths as well as public talks from various hospital departments coming together to provide awareness and education on diabetes.
Besides public awareness activities, the Endocrine Institute also organised diabetes education activities for health care providers with capacity training workshops on diabetes care for their health care team.
Dr Asmayani Khalib, deputy director-general (Medical), Ministry of Health (MOH), officiated the event together with Dr Zanariah Hussein, head of the MOH’s Endocrinology Subspecialty Service, Dr Nurain Mohd Noor, president of MEMS, Dr Mohammad Khairol Anwar Yusop, deputy director (Endocrine) of Hospital Putrajaya, and Richard Abela, vice president and general manager of Novo Nordisk Pharma Malaysia.
The current National Health and Morbidity Survey reported an increasing prevalence of diabetes, affecting one in five adult Malaysians. In light of this, Dr Asmayani reiterated the importance of a holistic approach in both prevention and disease management to combat the disease.
“The rising number of people affected by diabetes is putting added strain on healthcare systems. Healthcare professionals require quality diabetes education on how to detect and diagnose the condition early and provide the best possible care; while people living with diabetes need access to ongoing education to understand their condition and carry out the daily self-care essential to staying healthy and avoiding complications,” she said.
The sentiment was echoed by Dr Zanariah, who added that “with the rising number of Malaysians being diagnosed with diabetes, it is crucial that we double our efforts to prevent it from escalating. Access to quality diabetes education is a goal we must all strive for to educate and empower not only patients and the community but also family members who are providing support and care. We are excited to be collaborating with Novo Nordisk as well as other parties both internally and externally to drive diabetes awareness and educational activities across”.
“We are happy to be supporting Putrajaya Hospital in this year’s World Diabetes Day activities. The focus on Access to Diabetes Education is a critical aspect that will enable sustainable long-term care, with both healthcare providers and people living with diabetes receiving quality diabetes education,” said Abela.
“This is an essential component of diabetes care as we develop a patient-centric approach in care that is sustainable for lifelong chronic disease management. At Novo Nordisk, we want to be part of the solution, and the three pillars of our global Defeat Diabetes social responsibility strategy in accelerating prevention, providing access to affordable care for vulnerable patients, and innovating new treatments to improve lives, is our step towards that direction,” he added.
World Diabetes Day is an annual global awareness campaign initiated in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
The campaign aims to promote advocacy efforts and spread awareness of the importance of treating and managing the disease as a critical global health issue.
