DOHA: As part of a major workplace diabetes screening programme managed by Action on Diabetes (AoD), more than 5,600 employees in 20 of Qatar’s largest private and public sector organisations were screened last year.
Taking part in the ongoing initiative, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce hosted a diabetes screening programme for its employees, organised by AoD last month. The workplace diabetes screening programme managed by AoD is a public-private partnership initiated and funded by Maersk Oil Qatar.
The screening programme took place at the ministry’s offices in Lusail over two days and was managed by 10 trained diabetes nurses and educators from the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation and QDA.
Screening is a key strand of AoD’s efforts to tackle diabetes in Qatar. Efforts focus on educating members of the community and those at risk on factors that contribute to the condition, and empowering them to avoid and manage it through early detection.
The initiative also equips members of the community with simple steps, tools and know-how to safeguard their health.
A custom-made screening bus visited the ministry’s offices, fitted with testing equipment to allow analyses of blood glucose, HBA1C, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure.
The people tested at the bus received a personalised analysis of the results, with colour-coded graphs highlighting risks levels, as well as recommendations and advice on how to improve the results over time.
A Diabetes Health Audit was also provided to the ministry along with a final report which aggregated screening results with follow-up recommendations.
Tareq Al Sada, Director, Public Relations and Communication at the ministry, said, “The partnership is in line with our commitment to support our employees’ health.
“Since diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges in Qatar and the world, the partnership is a great example of our government’s commitment to social responsibility and support the people of Qatar.”
Herluf Nis Thomsen, Programme Manager, AoD, said, “On behalf of the AoD team, I would like to express gratitude to the ministry for its cooperation and assistance in helping combat one of Qatar’s biggest health challenges.
“Around half of those living with diabetes don’t know they have it, but type 2 diabetes can be prevented if risk factors are identified early enough and changes made to improve diet and lifestyle. This is why our screening programmes are so important,” Thomsen added.
The Peninsula
