RIYADH, 20 May 2008 — The Ministry of Health has cautioned people on the rising incidence of diabetes and is asking the public to take preventive and curative measures to fight the disease.
“Arab countries, including the Kingdom, have the highest incidence of diabetes in the world, and such a disease, if neglected, could affect the normal life of citizens,” Dr. Sulaiman Al-Obeid, deputy minister of health for planning and development, said at the inauguration of a workshop on leg wounds and bruises related to diabetes in Riyadh yesterday. The event is sponsored by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the University of Toronto, Canada.
The prevalence of diabetes in Saudi Arabia has increased from 17 to 25 percent over the last 10 years, officials say.
According to an official of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), people in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region face a 60-percent lifetime risk of developing diabetes.
Sufferers of diabetes eventually become blind or must have limbs amputated due to circulatory problems associated with the disease that can cause bruising and even gangrene.
The deputy minister said that the workshop, which would last for nine months to cover 30 working hours, has been designed to cover 100 Saudi officials who would take up positions at the specialized diabetic centers throughout the Kingdom.
