HMC Ramadan diabetes events start on Friday

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will kick off its Ramadan diabetes screening and education events this Friday at Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Mohamed Al Abdulrahman Al Thani Mosque in Al Rayyan.Following Friday prayers, 15 screening stands staffed by trained diabetes nurses and educators will be set up in the entrance hallway of the mosque as part of HMC’s annual Ramadan health awareness campaign.“Attendance for prayers at mosques tends to increase during the holy month so these screenings, which have become an annual event for HMC, present an opportune time to screen the local community for diabetes and to help individuals understand the signs and symptoms of the disease,” said Prof Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, chairman of Internal Medicine at HMC and director of the Qatar Metabolic Institute.“The events also provide an opportunity for our trained diabetes experts to talk with diabetic patients and to offer advice on managing their condition and eating healthily during Ramadan,” he explained.With events planned for Othman Bin Affan Mosque in Al Khor on June 16 and Abdulghani Abduljalil Mosque in Al Wakrah on June 23, thousands are expected to visit the screening stands to receive a personalised analysis of their results.According to Manal Othman, director of Diabetes Educators at HMC, more than 3,150 worshippers were screened as part of events last year during Ramadan.“Screening for diabetes and pre-diabetes provides us with an opportunity to start an important conversation. It allows us to identify individuals who do not know they are diabetic and to help those who are pre-diabetic, or at risk of becoming pre-diabetic, by talking to them about prevention programmes, treatment, and care,” said Othman.Community screenings have become an important part of HMC’s diabetes community outreach programme and have been successfully used in schools, workplaces, places of worship and other locations to help members of the public learn about the health risks of diabetes.HMC is also organising a series of other events, including corporate education and awareness sessions.During Ramadan, a phone-based emergency service which allows patients with diabetes, their relatives or caregivers, to call and ask for medical advice related to diabetes and fasting is available.The hotline (55981331) is operational from 8am to 11pm, seven days a week.