Some very positive news came out of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recently when a government official revealed that poor and needy Diabetes patients in the province would be given free insulin by the government. This good news was delivered by KPK’s Minister of Health Shaukat Yousufzai while speaking to the media.
The Minister of Health further said that the government was planning the construction of several modern treatment centres for Diabetes and would also provide free treatment to poor patients. He further revealed the government’s intention to introduce laws banning the prescription and use of packaged milk for children under the age of six months, and starting emergency measures for the prevention and cure of Dengue fever.
These are welcome measures from the KPK government as officials of the International Diabetes Federation have predicted that the number of people affected by Diabetes would double by 2035. Currently there are 7.6 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in Pakistan.
The president of the Pakistan Diabetes Association Dr. Mohammad Shera acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and stated that it is vital to educate the population, especially children about healthy eating. He announced that they would be carrying out special education programs in schools for this purpose.