Isaac Mugabi
13 June 2006
Kigali — The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has launched a world-wide campaign to fight Diabetes. Dubbed 'Unite for Diabetes',
the campaign will rally support by different governments including Rwanda to implement the UN resolution on Diabetes.
According to the Chairman of the Rwanda Diabetes Federation François Gishoma, the campaign also aims at involving local associations and people with Diabetes in the 191 countries in the United Nations General Assembly to seek their government's support of the resolution.
Gishoma noted that despite the disease posing a serious global challenge, it had received lukewarm consideration.
Dr Bonaventure Nizeyimana, the Director of Non-communicable Diseases in the Ministry of Health said Diabetes kills as many people as HIV/Aids, and indirectly, it causes many more deaths by accelerating cardiovascular diseases.
He also pointed out Diabetes mostly affects populations in developing countries including Rwanda and that it threatens to subvert the benefits gained by improved standards of living.
Recently, associations of people living with Diabetes merged to form the Rwanda Diabetes Federation, which will act as a channel between the ministry and the federation to avail members with affordable drugs and any other support.
According to available information, the IDF campaign for a United Nations resolution on Diabetes is a bold initiative involving all countries and aims to empower, energize and educate the more than 200 million people with diabetes in the largest awareness campaign ever undertaken.
The campaign strives to reach at least one billion people with messages that Diabetes is 'manageable and preventable'.
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