The accord was inked between the Saudi Society for Endocrinology and Metabolism (SSEM) and leading health care company MSD in the presence of Health Ministry officials.
Signatories of the agreement were SSEM President Dr. Atallah Al-Ruhaily and MSD General Manager for Saudi Arabia Dr. Wail Al-Qasim. “The growing number of diabetics in Saudi Arabia is extremely alarming. Right now we rank seventh in the world in terms of diabetes prevalence and face some of the highest diabetes-related mortality rates in the region,” Al-Ruhaily said following the signing ceremony.
He added that offering health-care professionals the latest information and tools to best manage diabetic care will be crucial to continue fighting the disease.
“Despite the crucial importance of diabetes care, the health educational system in this regard still requires improvements, better guidelines and qualified health care providers to bring about a more comprehensive understanding of the disease,” Al-Ruhaily said.
Under the agreed education program, Al-Qasim said MSD would provide training in the latest diabetes health care management techniques to 75 professionals. The program is scheduled to be held in May, he added.
“Training will be provided by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in collaboration with Leicester University, with health care professionals receiving a five-day training from a panel of local and international faculty members,” he said, adding the SSEM will select the candidates for the training program in consultation with the Ministry of Health.
Talking about the growing need to address diabetes in Saudi Arabia, Al-Qasim said in the 1980s only around 5 percent of the population was suffering from diabetes. “Today, this number has more than tripled. Due to a change in living and dietary habits and a rising rate of obesity, Saudis have become increasingly susceptible to type 2 diabetes,” he noted.
“As a leading health care company worldwide, MSD supports local health care providers to reduce the disease burden on local communities. This is why we are so committed to the fight against diabetes in the Kingdom,” Al-Qasim said.
“Diabetes is one of our top concerns in the Middle East region. In 2011 the International Diabetes Federation estimated that 19 percent of Saudi Arabia’s adult population already suffers from diabetes,” Al-Qasim noted. He added that this program will be crucial to enable health care professionals to support their patients in the management of diabetes, but, even more importantly, it will also educate them and create greater awareness of the many potentially life-threatening complications that uncontrolled diabetes can lead to.
“It is only through greater awareness that we can truly begin to address diabetes in Saudi Arabia.”
MSD is a trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., with headquarters in the US state of New Jersey. Through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biological therapies, and consumer care and animal health products, the company delivers innovative health care solutions in more than 140 countries.
