Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, received a certificate from the “Guinness Record” book for recording the largest gathering to educate children living with type 1 diabetes.
This came during the closing ceremony of diabetes awareness activities, in November 2022, and the announcement of setting a new record for “those with diabetes” by educating 523 children with type 1 diabetes about the damages of the disease, and organizing awareness and educational programs to prevent diabetes and healthy eating methods. And coexistence with it, coinciding with the celebrations of World Diabetes Day, and the 100th anniversary of the manufacture of the first dose of insulin.
The celebration activities began with the showing of a short film that includes health education and awareness programs, with the aim of spreading awareness and health and nutritional culture, to reduce the complications of diabetes, during 30 awareness days during the month of November. Social communication and education of more than 3,500 sugar addicts in 15 governorates.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, said that the Egyptian state has taken many steps in an effort to reduce the number of people with diabetes, foremost of which is the launch of the President of the Republic’s initiative to follow up and treat chronic diseases and early detection of kidney disease, under the slogan (100 million health), which is concerned with providing services. Health, therapeutic and educational for diabetics.
The minister stressed that the Egyptian state is adopting a strategic plan to support and raise the efficiency of health systems, and improve medical services provided to citizens to raise community immunity, stressing that the coming periods will witness cooperation in the field of scientific research to identify the genetic makeup of the Egyptian society, and study its behavior to determine the causes leading to diabetes.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, explained that the ministry, represented by the General Authority for Health Insurance, assumes the responsibility to address and combat chronic diseases, especially those associated with diabetes from the elderly and young groups, to reduce the burden on patients and societies, explaining that the insurance umbrella Healthcare covers nearly 10 million citizens with diabetes, as treatment and medical examinations are available to them.
Abdel Ghaffar continued, that there is a package of advanced services that are provided to diabetics, where attention and focus is placed on awareness and health education programs for patients and their families, programs for continuous measurements and follow-up through closed-circuit television and posters in clinics, in addition to health education programs for school students about the importance of lifestyles and nutrition. In addition to interest in providing detection and diagnosis services in all insurance clinics at the level of the governorates of the Republic, and following the latest modern treatment methods.
He added that the ministry pays great attention to developing integrated health care services in accordance with the latest global protocols for people with diabetes “Type 1, Type 2” among the elderly and children, pointing out that 50,000 children have been registered in the health care program for children with diabetes at a cost of EGP 615 million.
He pointed out that 30 model centers for diabetic children have been established to provide awareness, diagnosis and treatment services, and these centers include all specialties related to diabetes such as “ophthalmology, orthopedics, surgery, kidneys” in addition to nutritionists to reduce complications, in addition to providing education services. health, and psychological support, stressing that other centers are being equipped to include all branches of the authority in the governorates of the Republic.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Dahi, Chairman of the Egyptian General Authority for Health Insurance, pointed out that the Ministry of Health and Population supports the authority and cooperates with it to provide the best health care for patients, explaining that awareness of diabetes is the focus of the ministry’s attention, stressing the authority’s keenness to provide the latest treatments that patients need. diabetes according to the latest international recommendations.
Dahi explained that the authority has many achievements in this file, including the launch of the “Diabetes Siddiqui” project since 2019, with the aim of developing and improving services provided to children with diabetes, in addition to creating, developing and mechanizing model diabetes centers, pointing to the rehabilitation of 80 health educators in the field of type 1 diabetes. To follow up the child on a regular basis, and to organize continuous educational programs in all clinics, targeting children with diabetes and their families.
Dr. Ayman Hassan, General Manager of Novo Nordisk and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, expressed his great happiness for the cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Population, praising the Ministry’s efforts to improve its health services and raise the efficiency of health systems, in addition to its efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in insulin, looking forward to fruitful cooperation with Ministry in all areas of health, and contribute to raising the efficiency of health systems in line with achieving the goals of sustainable development.