Hemas Hospitals hosts awareness campaign celebrating World Diabetes Day

Sri Lanka’s premium healthcare partner Hemas Hospitals Thalawathugoda conducted a special awareness campaign in lieu of the World Diabetes day which fell on November 14th.

The programme which spanned from November 10th to 17th served to raise awareness about diabetes which is currently the eight leading cause of global deaths and is expected to be the fifth by 2030 according to the World Health Organization.

Recent statistics by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) indicate that one in 12 adults in Sri Lanka suffers from diabetes which totals to an alarming 1.16 million. The programme was conducted in keeping with the theme of the year ‘Women and Diabetes’ because as per latest statistics it is apparent that women are more susceptible to the condition than men, especially during and 
post pregnancy.

The programme which was titled ‘Powerful Women make Diabetes Powerless’ aimed to educate women on ways in which the risk of getting diabetes can be minimized by adopting a healthy lifestyle and if already diabetic, how the condition can be mitigated through diet and exercise. During the period of the programme, a special counter was set up to provide information and women were offered a free RBS test to assess the risk of diabetes.  Coinciding with the World Diabetes Day, on November 14th, an educational programme was conducted by a panel of experts including Consultant Endocrinologist Dr. Manilka Sumanathilake and Consultant Gynaecologist Dr. Romaine Fernando. The programme also featured a special cooking demonstration, aiding participants to stay fit and eat healthy – the key to keeping diabetes at bay. Further, the management ensured that their female staff too were looked after and educated, by distributing a healthy gift pack for all female employees.

Commenting on the awareness programme Dr. Romanie Fernando Resident Consultant Gynaecologist said: “We at Hemas Hospital Thalawathugoda believe that women are the backbone of the society and if they’re not looked after everything will collapse and will be dysfunctional.

“The programme aimed to educate and help women make positive changes in their lifestyles that will minimize risk of diabetes which in result will pave the way for a long, healthy life. Also, the fight against diabetes we believe should start from home; mothers make food-related decisions in typical Sri Lankan households and we believe that, through raising awareness and educating them we can make a tangible change in the rising and alarming diabetes statistics in Sri Lanka,” he added.