Seychelles celebrates World Diabetes Day |14 November 2011

To mark this day, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with other partners, is organising a host of activities aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among the general public. The theme chosen is ‘Act on Diabetes. Now!’

Two of the main activities are a half-day patients’ forum and the lighting of the Old Victoria Hospital in blue.

The half-day patients’ forum at the diagnostic centre’s conference room will feature diabetes patients’ testimonies about how they are managing the disease and those who have encountered complications (e.g. diabetes patient undergoing dialysis).

This activity will also allow vivid discussions on various issues relating to diabetes and will also produce recommendations on diabetes management for implementation by the Ministry of Health and its partners.

From 6pm to 7:30pm, the Old Victoria Hospital, one of Seychelles’ most celebrated landmarks, will be lit up in blue.

The Old Victoria Hospital will join over 1,000 of the world’s most iconic buildings and sites in lighting up the sky in the blue colour of the diabetes circle – the global symbol for diabetes.

The activity will feature ‘Dance out Diabetes’ – a mix of local dances – as a form of viable exercise in the form of dances for diabetic patients. To highlight the benefits of physical activity in managing diabetes, people with diabetes will measure their blood glucose before and after the exercise.

There will also be a ‘studio klinik’ radio programme on Wednesday November 16 to raise awareness on the dental complications and blindness related to diabetes.

World Diabetes Day was started in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses.

The World Diabetes Day 2011 campaign marks the third year of the International Diabetes Federation's five-year focus on ‘Diabetes education and prevention’ – the theme chosen for the period 2009-2013.

Over 300 million people are living with diabetes – the name given to a group of different conditions in which there is too much glucose in the blood. The pancreas either cannot make insulin or the insulin it does make is not enough and cannot work properly. Without insulin doing its job, glucose builds up in the blood leading to high blood glucose levels which cause the health problems linked to diabetes.