QDA marks World Diabetes Day today

The Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) will mark the World Diabetes Day marked today (November 14), as part of the global awareness campaign created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and World Health Organisation (WHO).

While the campaign lasts the whole year, the day itself marks the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, conceived the idea, leading to the discovery of insulin in 1922.

World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225.

The campaign is represented by a blue circle logo, the global symbol of diabetes awareness.

Since 1996, the QDA has been a leader in raising awareness about diabetes during the whole month of November in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.

Every year, World Diabetes Day has a specific theme; this year’s theme is Education to protect tomorrow, calling on policymakers to increase access to diabetes education to help improve the lives of the more than half a billion people living with diabetes worldwide.

“The most important objective of World Diabetes Day campaigns is to facilitate access to information and health education as a right guaranteed to all,” said CDA executive director Dr Abdulla al-Hamaq.

“We celebrate this year under the theme Education to protect tomorrow, with three objectives: inform and motivate the public to lead a healthy life, educate to stop the rise of type 2 diabetes, and educate to preserve the future of our people living with diabetes,” he added.