Pakistan embassy in UAE pledges support for diabetes centre back home
In Pakistan, an estimated one in ten people are thought to suffer from diabetes
Dubai: Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE has said that his diplomatic mission will provide full support for a non-profit diabetes centre back home, where one-in-ten people battle with the disease.
Based in the capital Islamabad, The Diabetes Centre treats patients irrespective of their ability to pay.
So far, the centre has treated 45,000 patients — 70 per cent of them free of charge. A hospital for the centre is currently 70 per cent complete, while the centre looks to raise funds to continue building.
At an Iftar event held on Friday at the Pakistan Association Dubai, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, pledged his support for the centre.
“The Diabetes Centre has been undertaking a noble cause in a professional manner. [The] Pakistan Embassy and Consulate will provide … their full support,” said Khan.
In an earlier presentation by the centre’s chairman, Dr Asjad Hameed, the audience was told that diabetes is one of the world’s leading causes of illness and mortality.
Diabetes is associated with high rate of hospitalisation, blindness, amputation, heart disease and kidney failure, among many other complications. It is also one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally.
According to a 2011 report by the World Health Organisation, about 13 million people are suffering from diabetes in Pakistan and many more are unaware.
