MSD promotes healthy living in KSA

Global healthcare leader, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Pharmaceuticals announced its regional program to promote ‘healthy living’ for employees living with diabetes in all major cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Khobar. Awareness of diabetes is particularly important as the prevalence of the disease is on the rise and most people living with diabetes do not have satisfactory control of the condition. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 387 million adults were reported living with diabetes in 2014 and this number is expected to rise to around 600 million by 2035.1 The Kingdom itself has seen an explosion in the number of diabetes cases, with 3.8 million people living with diabetes reported in Saudi Arabia in 2014, highlighting the global epidemic of the illness.2 This year, World Diabetes Day (WDD) ran under the slogan, “Your Guide to convert one day to a full year,” by providing treatment alternatives to help patients cope with the disease. WDD also encouraged people to ‘act to change your life today’ and to ‘act now to change the world tomorrow.’ As an official partner of WDD, MSD hopes to build on the achievements of last year by strengthening the region’s awareness of diabetes and empowering people to get active and take control of their health to prevent the disease and its complications. The company will roll out multiple initiatives including a series of educational lectures as part of its ongoing commitment to support people with type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia. Medhat Riad, managing director of MSD Saudi Arabia stated, “Diabetes is one of the diseases that has spread fast in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom’s healthcare system has significantly improved and has contributed to the early detection and increase in the average life expectancy per capita and low mortality rates.” Dr. Khalid Tayeb, head of Diabetes Center, Al Noor Hospital, Makkah, stated, “There are several healthy steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of diabetes or at least delay its onset. These steps may be suitable for a) people who have a family history of Diabetes b) as well as for those who have risk factors for developing Diabetes c) And those patients who have been diagnosed with Prediabetes. People with diabetes can also follow the same steps to improve their health, and reduce the potential risks and complications of diabetes, example of these steps are maintaining a simple daily exercise routine (e.g. walking), eating health food and reducing body weight.” The Ministry of Health’s National Survey for Health information in the Kingdom reported that the prevalence rates of diabetes reached 13.4%, of which 14.8% are males and 11.7% are females. Furthermore the rate increased to 7.8% for people between the ages 25-34 years, and the rate reached 50.4% for people from the age 65 years and over. The study also reported 1.1 million males living with diabetes, out of which 546,000 receive treatment, while 275,000 males have no control over this illness. Alarmingly, the study showed that women suffer the most with diabetes, with 775,000 reported to be living with diabetes, out of which 356,000 receive treatment, while 196,000 have uncontrolled diabetes. — SG