Directs to launch awareness campaign for educating people about healthy lifestyles
The Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Pervez Khattak on Tuesday stressed the need for preventive measures to control diabetes and other diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyle and ordered the relevant authorities to make physical exercise and training compulsory for students at all government and private schools of the province.
Talking to the members of the Advisory Committee of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Diabetes Forum and representatives of the Danish health care company, Novo Nordisk, the chief minister directed for launching an extensive awareness campaign for educating people about protective practices and healthy lifestyles. He said that the measures would prevent diabetes and other diseases which ultimately would help reduce burden of expensive medical care for patients besides saving government resources.
The joint delegation, led by Commercial Advisor of the Royal Danish Embassy at Islamabad Aslam Pervez called on the chief minister at the CM Secretariat and invited him to two-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Diabetes Forum’s meeting to be held at Peshawar from November 13, 2015 in conjunction with World Diabetes Day which would also be attended by the Danish ambassador in Pakistan.
The Provincial Minister for Health Shahram Khan Tarakai and Secretary Health Mushtaq Jadoon also attended the meeting.
The delegation praised the provincial government’s initiatives for providing free insulin to diabetes patients under the chief minister’s pro poor programme and observed that before 2014 there was no real focus on diabetes treatment and prevention in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The chief minister also praised the efforts of the Diabetes Forum as well as the Danish healthcare company for promoting the cause of diabetes cure by supporting the needy patients and urged the forum to conduct an analysis or research to find out the actual causes of diabetes in certain areas of the province with special reference to the poor hygienic conditions.
On this occasion the chief minister also directed the health department to provide free diabetes insulin to deserving patients who came under Sasta Aata scheme or Benazir Income Support Program, or had recommendation of the local Zakat committee.
