PIMA calls for urgent government action on diabetes

Islamabad : Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) organized awareness programs across the country on World Diabetes Day, where medical experts urged citizens to make exercise a regular habit, avoid fatty foods and adopt a healthy lifestyle.

At the screening camp held by PIMA here at the National Press Club, 10% of the new diabetes cases were detected, who were previously unaware of their diabetic status. PIMA Central President, Professor Atif Hafeez Siddiqui said that the number of diabetes patients in Pakistan has reached 3.6 million with one-quarter of them unaware of their disease.

He emphasized that when diabetes is undetected or inadequately treated, people with diabetes are at risk of serious and life-threatening complications, such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and lower-limb amputation.

Professor Siddiqui also highlighted the alarming trend of younger diabetes patients, aged between 25 and 30 years, attributing it to the lack of physical activity, consumption of fatty foods, and increased use of energy drinks.

He called on the govt to provide free diabetes screening services across the country, reduce the cost of diabetes medications, ban the advertisement of soft drinks, increase taxes on them, and ensure access to quality sports and exercise facilities for the public.