ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Friday on inaugurated “The Diabetes Centre” at Phulgaran in the outskirts of the Federal Capital, to help early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
While speaking on the occasion, the prime minister announced a grant of Rs 100 million for the centre on behalf of the government, and urged philanthropists to generously contribute to help expand its reach.
The prime minister said the disease was a major challenge and urgent measures were needed to address it by setting up similar centres across the Country. He said it would serve as a model for not only the Country but also the region.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said The Diabetes Centre, Inc. (TDC) had taken on the challenge of dealing with the diabetes and was playing a significant role in creating awareness, education and health care delivery.
Abbasi hoped the new centre at Phulgaran would cater to the needs of the people of areas adjoining the Federal Capital and Azad Kashmir.
The prime minister said the TDC was serving as a centre of excellence and offering comprehensive care to diabetics in Pakistan. He appreciated the provision of quality diagnostics and treatment to the patients besides its training initiative.
Earlier, the prime minister was informed that the TDC was focused on diabetes care, treatment and awareness and offered 12 specialized facilities under one roof.
The clinic has to-date treated over 17,000 patients free of cost besides caring for around 500 patients per week who mainly come from various districts of northern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Diabetes prevalence in Pakistan is high, 12 percent of people above 25 years of age suffer from the condition and 10 percent have impaired glucose tolerance.
The TDC is an internationally-recognized, not-for-profit organization and is registered tax-exempted charity in the United Kingdom, the United States and Pakistan.
