Department of Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education hosted a Diabetes Forum in Lahore on 6thof December 2016. The forum was inaugurated by Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education (SHC&ME) Punjab, Khawaja Salman Rafique andAmbassador of Denmark to Pakistan, H.E. Ole Thonke. Addressing the event, the Minister for SHC&ME Punjab, Khawaja Salman Rafique said ‘as per Chief Minister’s vision for improving health and wellbeing of people in province the Punjab Diabetes Forum 2016 will be a great example of Public-Private Partnership and will act as a milestone to fight against diabetes in Punjab. This forum will help in identifying the strategies and way-forward for the better advocacy and awareness campaigns in Punjab against diabetes. It will also help in training and educating not only the students and health professionals, including doctors and nurses, but will also create awareness among general public for importance of living a healthy lifestyle’. Government of Punjab and the Government of Denmark have made a joint effort to fight diabetes and to provide easy and free access to the public for treatment and medication.
A number of speakers including Prof. Faisal Masood VC KEMU and Prof. Khadija Irfan Khawaja also addressed the forum and highlighted the seriousness of the issue and its prevention. Diabetes is a growing disease in Pakistan. It is estimated that about 7 million people in Pakistan live with diabetes. It is predicted that by 2035, the number of people with diabetes will nearly double to 12.8 million. 10 people die every hour in Pakistan from diabetes-related causes often by heart attacks and strokes.
On this occasion, the Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan, H.E. Ole Thonke said, ‘Denmark has close to 100 years of experience fighting diabetes. We want to share this with Pakistan. The public and private sector needs to join forces with all stakeholders in the health sector for the overall public good. In Pakistan, the Embassy of Denmark is actively working with the federal and provincial Governments as well as the private sector to address the increasing burden of diabetes.’
Najam Ahmed Shah, Secretary SHC&ME said that ‘Improving the health care system has been a priority of the Government of Punjab. We are aware of growing diabetes issue in Punjab and taking conducive initiatives with the support of Embassy of Denmark in Pakistan for the advocacy of prevention and control of this disease. The encouraging factor is the belief of Government of Punjab in a Public-Private Partnership model and the plan is to implement the same model in the healthcare system as well.’ He also nominated Prof. Faisal Masood as Chairman Taskforce on Diabetes.
An ‘Action Plan’ was presented to the Minister SHC&ME on the diabetes forum, outlining the activities for future training of health practitioners in Punjab, including doctors and nurses, creating awareness in Punjab for the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. The Punjab Diabetes Forum 2016 will be a great example of a Public-Private Partnership and will act as a milestone in fight against diabetes in Punjab.