World Diabetes Day: Ceremony held in 1000-bed Nay Pyi Taw General Hospital

A ceremony to commemorate the World Diabetes Day 2022 was held at the 1000-bed Nay Pyi Taw General Hospital on Tuesday.

At the ceremony, Union Minister for Health Dr Thet Khaing Win said that this year’s theme is “Education to Protect Tomorrow” and the health professionals are urged to raise awareness on quality diabetes education activities among diabetes patients.

According to the statistics of the World Health Organization, the number of deaths due to diabetes is increasing every year and the number of deaths by the disease is higher in developing countries.

According to a survey conducted in Myanmar in 2014, there are 19.7 percent of people with initial stage of diabetes and there is a very high risk of coming as a diabetic patient and subsequent diseases for those people.

The Union Minister added that the Ministry of Health opens Centers of Excellence for Diabetes in 4 hospitals of Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw and Magway People’s hospital. Moreover, diabetic and hypertension treatment clinics have been opened in Rural Health Department, Public Health centers and maternal and child health centers.

The basic health staffs conduct diabetes and hypertension disease tests free of charge, referral of patients if necessary and awareness on the ways for living styles to be suitable with health, giving trainings and providing medical supplies and equipment.

The Union Minister called for participating in the prevention and control of non-communicable disease, including diabetes from all sectors and conducting diabetes education activities more than present and raising public awareness with quality programs.

Then, the project manager of the Diabetes Prevention and Control Project reported on the efforts of the Ministry of Health for the control and prevention of the disease. Later, the Union Minister and party visited the Diabetes Treatment Education Center in the 1000- bed Nay Pyi Taw General Hospital and looked into treatments to diabetes patients.

Later, the Union Minister and party presented insulins to the patients and test machine and cordially greeted the patients. Then, an educative talk in the commemoration the ceremony was conducted and educative videos were shown. Free diabetes screening for guests, treatment and referral if necessary were conducted.