JEDDAH, 28 May 2007 — Saudi Arabia, where diabetes affects nearly a quarter of the population, is one of 10 countries having the highest number of diabetics in the world, according to a report issued by an international diabetes conference.
Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie emphasized the Kingdom’s efforts to combat the disease. According to one report, the government spends nearly SR5 billion annually to treat diabetes and related diseases across the country.
“Diabetes is likely to become an epidemic in the Kingdom as it has affected nearly 30 percent of its population,” the minister said in a recent statement. “It is spreading not only in Saudi Arabia but also in other Gulf countries,” he pointed out.
Al-Manie blamed an unhealthy lifestyle and the lack of physical exercise for the increase in diabetes in the country. “Medical reports show that 15 to 20 percent of schoolchildren in the Kingdom are affected by diabetes without their knowledge,” he explained.
The majority of people suffering from diabetes in the Kingdom are women, especially those living in cities. Referring to the growing incidence of diabetes among Saudi children, Al-Manie said it was due to hereditary factors in addition to unhealthy lifestyles, overeating and a lack of awareness among families.
As much as 52 percent of the Kingdom’s population is obese, making them vulnerable to diabetes.
A recent study conducted of 7,000 Saudi men and women has shown that the rate of diabetes and heart disease is very high in the Kingdom. Experts say obesity is one of the reasons for developing diabetes. “Food is a core factor in treating diabetes as patients should eat food with only a few calories, low fat, low oil and low carbohydrates,” one expert said.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaim, head of the department of pediatric endocrinology at King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah and chairman of the World Diabetes Day Committee, said more than 80 percent of diabetic patients suffer from obesity.
The total number of diabetic patients in the world is estimated at 246 million with 80 percent of them in third world countries.
As part of its efforts to combat the disease, the Health Ministry yesterday signed contracts with Al-Majal Al-Arabi Group to establish diabetes centers at Riyadh Medical Center, King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, King Fahd Hospital in Madinah, Dammam Central Hospital and King Fahd Hospital in Jizan. The project, to be completed in a year, will cost SR31.13 million.
