The availability of a new sensor-activated insulin pump in the UAE that can help diabetics by automatically cutting off insulin supply when required is good news as it renders the management of the disease less cumbersome. But beyond this cheer, there is a grim reality that seems to be getting darker by the year — the rising numbers of people with diabetes in the UAE. Nineteen per cent of the UAE population suffers from this condition as compared to a global average of 6 per cent. This is a disturbing contrast. Despite the UAE observing the World Diabetes Day on November 14 every year through a plethora of awareness campaigns and activities, the ground reality remains of concern.
This is because the desired outcome — a perceptible drop in numbers year upon year — is achievable more through individual responsibility than other measures as not all cases of diabetes are a genetic ambush, though even this predicament finds its redemption in a disciplined lifestyle. A bitter truth about diabetes is that in many instances, people actually extend it an invitation; their lax lifestyle of poor diet, little exercise and timid stress management turns something that could have been prevented turning into an inevitability. What’s even more of a bitter truth is that this tribe is in the majority and the change that is a win-win for all can only present itself if this group takes inspiration from its minority counterparts — diabetics who have brought discipline and commitment to their management of the condition.
