Moldovans to be able to test blood sugar level free of charge on occasion of World Diabetes Day

Chisinau, 13 November /MOLDPRES/ - Moldovans willing to do this will be able to test the blood sugar level free of charge on the World Diabetes Day, marked on 14 November. This year, the World Diabetes Day is held with the title, Women and Diabetes – Our Right to a Sound Future.   

According to the Chisinau city hall, a point for testing the blood sugar will be organized at the city hall on 14 November at 9:00. During the day, blood sugar testing points will also be opened in the halls of the Chisinau district praetor’s offices, Diagnosis Consultative Centres, Family Physicians Centres and municipal medical and sanitary public institutions, as well as in drug stores. 

Contacted by MOLDPRES, the head of the Chisinau-based Public Health Centre, Luminita Suveica, said that the testing of the blood sugar was extremely important, as diabetes does not always have clinical signs. “We urge persons, especially those  older than 40 years, to go and make such a test. People suffering from obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular, endocrine diseases, or persons who are genetically predisposed to this disease are also in the risk group. If discovered in time, diabetes can be improved through correct nourishment and physical effort,” Suveica said.     

At the same time, she also said that “specialists on 14 November will go to more enterprises, where they will test the blood sugar, will carry out activities of informing, communication and raising residents’ awareness as to the fight against the diabetes and complications triggered by this disease.”  

The World Diabetes Day is marked annually on 14 November. The event takes place at an initiative by the International Diabetes Federation, with the support of the World Health Organization.  

In the Chisinau city, the event is organized by the Health Department, the municipal Public Health Centre and Prodiab Society Public Association.  

Presently, 371 million people are hit by diabetes worldwide, with another 280 million in an imminent risk of falling sick with this disease. By 2030, the number of people ill with diabetes will stand at half a billion. In Moldova, about 84,000 people suffer from this disease and the morbidity through diabetes has increased 1.5-fold in the last ten years. Over 23,400 cases are recorded in the Chisinau municipality, including children. At the same time, up to 70 per cent of the type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented by the adoption of a sound lifestyle.        

Diabetes is a diseases characterized by high values of blood in sugar and unbalanced metabolism. The number of people with latent diabetes is estimated to be 2-3-fold larger, as more than 85 per cent of the patients are adult persons (+40) and are hit by the type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is one of the principal reasons for early disability. Each third person with blinding and renal insufficiency is sick with diabetes. Also, 70 per cent of the cases of amputations of lower limbs are caused by diabetes. The share of diabetes in the structure of primary disablement is 4.8 per cent and causes shortening of the life expectancy by ten years on average.    

(Reporter A. Ciobanu, editor A. Raileanu)