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Diabetic School Kids to be Taught to Take Insulin Jabs

DUBAI — Schoolchildren with diabetes will soon be taught to take insulin jabs on their own as part of the health ministry’s initiative to help sufferers manage the disease effectively.

The drive is part of the UAE Ministry of Health’s pilot project to be launched in two public schools in Dubai and Sharjah next month.

“We want children with the disease to learn how to effectively manage it themselves especially in settings such as schools where someone may not be able to help them immediately,” Dr Salah Al Badawi, Public Health Consultant and Director of the National Project for Control of Diabetes.

“Teaching the child to take care of the disease early is important so that it does not become a compounded health problem later in life,” he said.

The project, which will be expanded to other emirates later, is being undertaken in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority.

The ministry has also formulated special educational packages for teachers, parents and school nurses as part of the project.

Data on the number of diabetic schoolchildren is scarce in the country; therefore, the ministry plans to intensify programmes on prevention of diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Educational material promoting healthy eating and exercise will be distributed among schoolchildren. “The ministry has also undertaken research to study the co-relation between obesity and diabetes,” he said.

Meanwhile, a month-long national awareness campaign ‘Know Diabetes’ on Monday marked its concluding week at Ibn Battuta Mall. The campaign aims to carry out health checks on 25,000 individuals until November 14, which is observed as the World Diabetes Day. For the past three weeks, the campaign had been taken to workplaces, educational establishments and social clubs. However, results of the tests will be released later. According to statistics, nearly a million people in the UAE are either diabetic or pre-diabetic, earning the UAE the second highest place with regards to the percentage of people affected by the disease. This leads to $100-200 million being spent yearly on its management.

“The campaign is playing an important role within the national strategy to dramatically reduce the prevalence of diabetes within the UAE,” said Dr Mahmoud Fikri, CEO Health Policies Affairs and Chairman of the National Diabetes Board. The programme includes a series of talks, presentations, free health check-ups and edutainment activities, which have been sponsored by commercial organisations keen to highlight the financial implications of the disease, which currently afflicts one in five people in the country.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.ae