KU signs agreement with pharmaceutical co: Faculty, employees and students to be screened for diabetes

KARACHI: The University of Karachi (UoK) has signed an agreement with Pharmevo to screen thousands of faculty members, employees and students for diabetes.

While speaking at the MoU-signing ceremony, KU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Iraqi on Thursday deplored that despite knowing the complications of diabetes, a large number of people were not ready to change their lifestyle and get themselves diagnosed, saying number of undiagnosed diabetics was in millions in Pakistan.

“It is a tragedy millions of people having risk of diabetes are not ready to change their lifestyle, those who have developed diabetes are not taking medicines and precautions to control diabetes while there are millions who are undiagnosed and when their health condition deteriorates, they get themselves screened and come out to be full-fledged diabetics,” he added.

Under the MoU signed between the KU and the Discovering Diabetes project of local pharmaceutical firm Pharmevo, hundreds of faculty members and employees of the University would be screened for the diabetes by the Discovering Diabetes while initially free consultation with experts would also be arranged by the project team.

Similarly, all the high-risk students of KU would also be screened for the diabetes and those at risk would be tested for the diabetes.

A mega screening camp would be held at the varsity by the Pharmevo for diabetes awareness where facilities of diabetes risk assessment of employees and students, sugar screening for high-risk patients, BMI test, BP measuring, diet education for diabetic patients, diabetes education for diabetic patients, and executive check-up by a renowned diabetologist for faculty members on regular basis would be available.

On this occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of the pharmaceutical firm Jamshed Ahmed stated that the increasing number of diabetes in the Asian region and especially in Pakistan has put the health sector in trouble and one of the reasons for the rapid growth of this disease is the lack of awareness.

The KU senior medical officer Dr Abid Hassan, KU Dr Akmal Waheed, the Director of Commercial PharmEvo Mansoor Khan, Director of Marketing Abdus Samad, Marketing Manager Agha Sadiq, and Business Units Head Rauf Imam, and others were present on this occasion.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022