Marking World Diabetes day, Action on Diabetes (AoD) is launching today the third ‘Diabetes Screening and Awareness Village’ at Katara Cultural Village.
The three day campaign will provide information and practical advice about the risk factors, prevention and management of diabetes and promises to be an educational and fun-filled event for all participants.
The diabetes village will be open from 4pm to 9pm in the Esplanade area at Katara, until Saturday.
Dr Mohamed al-Thani, director of Public Health at the Supreme Council of Health said: “We are proud to support World Diabetes Day with this important initiative that is appealing to the entire family. Previous AoD screening campaigns have already tested more than 4,500 people and discovered 150 new cases of diabetes, people who were not previously aware of their diabetic condition. For this reason we strongly encourage the residents of Qatar to visit Katara and not only get tested for diabetes but also learn about healthy lifestyle.”
Activities will include free diabetes testing and advice by professional staff from the Supreme Council of Health and Hamad Hospital; cooking demonstrations showcasing healthy menus that are easy to prepare and can help to reduce the risk of getting diabetes; fun exercises for all the family showing how small changes and exercise can make a big difference to health, reducing the risk of getting diabetes; and a Kids Zone featuring games and live work-out.
Dr Mahmoud Zirie, head of Endocrinology, Diabetes Division, HMC pointed out that it is crucial to diagnose diabetes in its earliest stages.
“Diabetes screening tests are very simple and a good preventative method for detecting the development of diabetes at an early stage. An overwhelming number of diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by lifestyle or medical intervention in people detected with pre-diabetes. That’s why we are encouraging people to visit our screening village,” he said.
Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani, deputy managing director of Maersk Oil Qatar reiterated his organisation’s support to the Qatari authorities in the fight against diabetes, “Maersk Oil is committed to making a long-term social contribution to the State of Qatar through quality partnership programmes that make a real and lasting impact on the lives of tens of thousands of Qataris. AoD is a clear example of this. We are very proud that the AoD partnership is making a real difference here in Qatar, and we are grateful for the active support and involvement of all AoD partners.”