Nairobi, Kenya: Merck, a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in the pharmaceutical, chemical and life-science sectors, announced today its Diabetes Awareness and Prevention Campaign in partnership with Kenya Ministry of Health and Diabetes Management and Information centre (DMI) on the occasion of the World Diabetes Day.
Dubbed ‘Get Informed- Get Active- Get Healthier’, the campaign aims to free screen more than 2000 community members for Diabetes and aims to double this number in 2015 in order to reverse the worrying trend by preventing or delaying the development of diabetes in the Kenyan population.
Merck, the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company has reached 23000 community members with free diabetes screening and education across Africa and Asia in 2014 and aims to reach 60,000 by 2018.
Dr. Stefan Oschmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Pharma, said: “By partnering with Kenya Ministry of Health and DMI we hope to quickly achieve our objective of advancing healthcare capacities and contributing to social and economic development of Kenya. Our goal is to improve the healthcare sector in the country through educating and empowering those affected by diabetes on how to manage and prevent it in Kenya and the rest of Africa.”
The Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Health James Macharia has applauded Merck for its Capacity Advancement Program that was launched successfully in 2013 in Kenya. “The Ministry of Health is supporting private public partnership with reputable companies like Merck to promote key health guidelines and raise awareness about diabetes so that people learn how to prevent it” .he added.
Rasha Kelej, Vice President and head of Global Business Responsibility and Market Development of Merck Serono said “The lack of awareness on disease symptoms makes many diabetes patients to be diagnosed late when they have already developed complications such as blindness, foot ulcers or gangrene, heart diseases among others. It was clear for us from the start that if not addressed as a matter of urgency, diabetes, will soon threaten the economic viability of Africa. And sadly, many people who survive HIV and AIDS may die of diabetes”.
Macharia emphasized “The cost of managing diabetes is enormous and places a huge burden on already strained healthcare system. The lack of awareness on disease symptoms makes many diabetes patients to be diagnosed late when they have already developed complications such as blindness, foot ulcers or gangrene, heart diseases among others”.
Eva Muchemi, Executive Director of the Diabetes Management and Information Centre (DMI) said: “World diabetes day is celebrated on 14th of November of every year around the world to raise awareness among people about diabetes with a theme “Healthy Living and Diabetes”. In simple words we can explain Diabetes as a condition which occurs due to the problem in production and supply of insulin in the body”.
“The lack of financial means is not the only challenge in Africa, but a scarcity of disease awareness and trained health care personnel capable to tackle the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes at all levels of the health care systems” Kelej added.
Merck Diabetes Capacity Advancement Program (CAP) aims at expanding the professional capacity in Africa in the areas of research and development, clinical research, supply chain integrity and efficiency, pharmaco vigilance, community awareness and medical education for students at the University of Nairobi and healthcare providers in rural areas with special focus on Diabetes.
Merck is working with African countries to establish its Capacity Advancement Program and is actively engaged in a dialogue with local stakeholders in Kenya and Africa to launch a structured, country-specific and partnership-based agenda, which will add great value to society and the scientific community. In addition to awareness campaigns and medical education, Merck will continue to work with partners in Kenya and Africa at large to expand the capacity of professionals in diabetes management through its Capacity Advancement Program.
By end of 2018, more than 12,000 medical students from African and Asian universities of Health sciences will benefit from European-accredited clinical diabetes and chronic diseases management training, which is seeking to equip them with skills to avert the diabetes epidemic.