Rwanda to mark UN diabetes day with week long activities; Diabetes Association

Rwanda to mark UN diabetes day with week long activities; Diabetes Association

BY GEORGE KAGAME


The Rwanda Diabetic Association will celebrate this year’s World Diabetes Day with several activities to increase awareness and the plight of people suffering from it no top of free medical care for all children affected.

Speaking to the press over the weekend Dr Fransco Gishoma, the President of Rwanda Diabetic Association the national organization in Rwanda which is concerned with diabetes related issues in the country said the Rwanda Diabetic Association has organized several events to mark the day which was officially designated by the UN last year on 14 November.
"Rwanda forwarded the day to 21 November and we have a week long observation. With the help of local government authorities we are inviting all children suffering from diabetes to get free treatment. We have partnered with 16 major hospitals across the country to provide therapy. We are also treating diabetic children and 'absolutely' poor people for free on top of reducing the cost by 30 percent for those with 'small' means."
Gishoma said that 2008 theme for Rwanda diabetes day, "No children should be killed from diabetes” marks his association's determination to curb the disease in the country.


The United Nations' marked the first diabetes' day on 14th November 2007 and declared that the day to be an international day to be observed among all member countries to appeal to the disease affecting over 246 million worldwide.

Even if the president of diabetes association in Rwanda did not give immediate statistics as to the extent of diabetes in the country, he said that disease is serious threat to the health of many Rwandans: "our association in partnership with the Ministry of health has started programmes running at public health centre level across the country to ensure that all children are tested for diabetes.

World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world. It was introduced by International Diabetic Federation and the World Health Organization in response to concern over increasing numbers of people with diabetes around the world.

The date marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921. With the passage of the United Nations' World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006, November 14 has now become a United Nations-observed day.