Sunday 19 / May / 2024
Muscat: The incidence of diabetes among Omanis exceeds the global average and the Sultanate recorded 60 cases of diabetes among children annually.
The Omani Diabetes Association, in cooperation with the National Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Ministry of Health, recently launched the “We Are With You” initiative, to provide blood glucose meters for diabetic children from social security families to help them self-monitor their blood sugar and thus control the disease well.
The initiative aims to raise public awareness among members of society of the need for regular examination in addition to reducing the risks resulting from neglecting high blood sugar levels, thus reducing complications and improving the quality of life.
His Excellency Dr Ahmed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, said that there are children suffering from diabetes, endocrine diseases or similar diseases for long periods and that suffering is not limited to children only, but rather reaches the family and society at the same time. His Excellency the Minister of Health added that there is a close follow-up of all cases of diabetes or endocrine disorders in children through the good care they receive.
Dr Noor bint Badr Al Busaidi, Director of the National Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology, indicated that statistical data indicate that there is an increase in the prevalence of diabetes in most countries of the world, and this was reflected in the adoption of the World Health Organisation and all member states of the global goal of stopping the increase in rates of the incidence of diabetes by 2025. The Sultanate is one of the countries in which the rates of diabetes exceed the global average, which is estimated at 9.3 per cent in 2019, where the prevalence of diabetes among adults in the Sultanate is about 11.4 per cent, according to the 2017 study of the National Health Survey.
"Consequently, the concerted efforts and cooperation of all sectors in supporting and financing health policies, increasing awareness efforts and providing a supportive healthy environment has certainly become an urgent requirement to achieve the international goal," Al Busaidi added.
It is worth noting that the total number of diabetes patients registered in the institutions of the Ministry of Health, according to the 2019 health report, is more than 105,000 cases with diabetes, and the vast majority of them have type 2 diabetes, and about 1-5% have type 1 diabetes, which is the type that often appears during childhood and adolescence. The number of new cases among children ranges about 60 annually, and the total number of diabetes cases for citizens of pre-pubescent age exceeds 1,000.
Al Busaidi explained: "Looking at the levels of diabetes control, according to local studies and reports, the rate of good diabetes control in adult patients ranges from 32-35 per cent, and the level of good diabetes control in children and adolescents is 10-12 per cent, and most studies indicate that good diabetes control in children improves with increasing family awareness of the diabetes problem in her children, as well as through the availability of sugar monitors or insulin pumps for the patient."
The Oman Diabetes Association is also mobilising the necessary resources to provide necessary devices for patients to enable them to better control the disease, including sugar monitoring sensor - transdermal insulin injection port and glucose measuring device and strips, with a future horizon of expansion to cover more categories and support the insulin pump device and its accessories.
