All there is to know about diabetes
Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally
Residents in Tembisa flocked to the Rabasotho Hall during the commemoration of World Diabetes Day. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Amref South Africa (Amref), in conjunction with the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH), formed a partnership to empower communities to take action for sustainable health improvement. November 14 commemorates World Diabetes Day, which is the primary global awareness campaign focusing on Diabetes Mellitus. The theme for this year is: “Women and Diabetes: Our right to a healthy future”.
The International Diabetic Federation has estimated that over 199 million women globally are living with diabetes. These projections indicate that numbers will increase to 313 million women by 2040.
Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths each year. Because of socio-economic conditions, girls and women with diabetes experience barriers in accessing cost-effective diabetes prevention, early detection, diagnoses along with treatment and care, particularly in developing countries.
As part of GSK’s commitment to making a positive contribution to the communities in which they operate, Amref and the GDoH will facilitate on-the-ground support with free diabetes screening tests on World Diabetes Day in the Ekurhuleni district in Tembisa, Johannesburg.
“We strongly believe that women and girls must be empowered with equitable access to knowledge and resources that will strengthen their capacity to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes, and influence the adoption of healthier lifestyles to improve the health and well-being of those around them and that of future generations,” said Davies Gichuhi, General Manager, GSK Southern Africa-Pharma.
Furthermore, GSK invests in health and education programmes and partnerships that aim to bring sustainable improvements to underserved people in the developed parts of South Africa.
From 2016 until 2019, GSK has committed R28-million per annum over a three-year period for the “Health Worker Training Project” which aims to improve the quality of maternal and child health services in a range of projects in four provinces.
Also known as “train-the-trainer”, the programme is accredited by Amref and gives unemployed youth an opportunity to receive skills and in turn, use that knowledge to transform the perception and awareness of diabetes within the community.
The unemployed youth who qualify for this programme will be trained as community healthcare workers who will educate communities about non-communicable diseases through health campaigns.
“Amref is committed to improving the health of people in Africa by partnering with and empowering communities, to strengthen health systems. The partnership with GSK really speaks to this vision as we look forward to providing free diabetes screening tests to the community in the Ekurhuleni health district. We aim to empower members to better safeguard their health and well-being,” concluded Professor Stellah Anyangwe, a board member of Amref South Africa. The Tembisa Elderly Choir entertained the audience throughout the event.
