As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Diabetes Day, 2022, the Federal Government partners with relevant stakeholders to bring the disease down to its knees, with the launch of ICARE initiative. The theme for this year’s event is access to Diabetes care “Education to protect tomorrow”.

The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who was represented by the Honourable Minister of State for Health, Hon. Joseph Ekumankama, lauded the iCARE initiative, noting that partnership with the Danish Embassy and Novo Nordisk, will support Nigeria’s diabetes control efforts, providing holistic diabetic care and facilitate insulin access to the most vulnerable patient groups in Nigeria.

The Minister also reiterated the Government's commitment to providing leadership for control and prevention of non-communicable diseases by strategically pursuing the elimination of risk factors, improving access to clinical care for the diseases as well as preventing their complications.

He expressed the optimism that with these partnerships and collaborative efforts particularly in the rural areas, diabetes would be reduced to its barest minimum.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, of the Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman ably represented by the Director, of Public Health, Dr. Alex Okoh noted that Nigeria is actively involved in strategic intervention toward the elimination of the risk factors of diabetes and other communicable diseases.

In his goodwill message, the World Health Organisation representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazzadi Mulumbo said there is an urgent need to move access to diabetic care from sick care to health care, encompassing a prevention and treatment approach for every adult living with diabetes Mellitus through strategic and accelerated collaboration.

The Ambassador of Denmark to Nigeria Mr. Sune Krogstrup in his remarks commended the collaborations with Nigeria, adding that the Launch of the iCARE program by Novo Nordisk would collectively improve the lives of people, especially low-income vulnerable, elderly, retirees over the age of 55, with limited income and health coverage, living with diabetes to defeat the disease.

The Ambassador also informed that the iCARE initiative was launched in Nigeria with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federal Ministry of Health and Novo Nordisk. Other Stakeholders in the partnership include the Royal Danish Embassy (RDE) World Wide Commercial Ventures Limited (WWCVL) and the Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology of Nigeria.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the signed memorandum of understanding between the Federal Ministry of Health, the Danish Embassy, Novo Nordisk, and other partners to the public. It also highlighted the need to include diabetes tests as part of the compulsory routine tests for Nigerians to reduce the spate of diabetes. iCARE targets reaching 12,000 patients with affordable insulin and ensuring that no child dies from type 1 diabetes through its's changing diabetes in Children Programme.

World Diabetes Day is held on November 14 every year and it’s a global awareness campaign focusing on diabetes mellitus.

Blessing Egbo

Signed:

Ahmadu A. A. Chindaya

Head, Media & Public Relations