In commemoration of the 2023 World Diabetes Day (WDD), the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria has screened no fewer than 300 people in Kaduna for diabetes while advising them on its prevention and management.
The WDD is set aside by the United Nations (UN) to draw public attention to the need for action to fight the menace of diabetes.
It is a day also designed to create awareness about diabetes as a global public health issue and what needs to be done collectively and individually to manage or prevent the condition.
The 2023 WDD commemoration is themed: “Access to diabetes care.”
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the diabetes screening on Tuesday in Kaduna, the association’s President, Kaduna Ministry of Health chapter, Mr Jessey David, described diabetes as a deadly ailment.
He, therefore, added that it has a grievous impact on patient’s daily lives, which called for awareness creation to advise those who were negative or positive on regular check-ups.
David also explained that diabetes, a manageable disease, does not have a cure.
According to him, a lot of people are not aware of the disease, and many of them might have signs depicting it but are negligent or ignorant about it.
The association’s president also stated that diabetes could be traced to one’s family history.
David said, “Diabetes is also genetic in some families; for those which the disease did not manifest, we advise them on healthy practices, especially type of food intake because it can enhance the disease.”
He, therefore, advised the public to go for regular check-ups, adding that diabetes screening is not expensive and could be accessed easily at any healthcare outfit or medical laboratory.
Speaking to some beneficiaries, Mr Zakari Mohammed restated the importance of medical check-ups in general.
He said that diabetes test was also critical to preventing sudden breakdown, which sometimes led to sudden death.
Mohammed thanked the association for the gesture while calling on the government to make diabetes tests free at all its facilities in the state.
Also, Aminu Abdullahi, a resident of Zaria, expressed satisfaction over his negative status of the disease, adding, “I come to Kaduna from Zaria every day for work; it is not easy, and I don’t joke with my medical checkup.
“Many of us work almost every day and usually don’t have the time to go to the hospital unless, in an urgent or pressing situation, such exercises allow us to do check-ups at our comfort.”
NAN reports that the WDD, marked in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health, had the theme: ‘Empowering global health’.(NAN)
