On our planet today, a whopping 400,000,000+ human beings suffer from diabetes. Around 40,000,000 of them reside in the Middle East. And in the past year, there have been about 4,000,000 known-cases of diabetes within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone.
Every day and in every corner of the world, diabetics face unpleasant challenges. Challenges that induce physical and emotional stress, robbing them of living everyday ordinary lives. The International Diabetes Care Center (IDCC) confronts those challenges, striving to achieve better quality living and effective health management for diabetics.
In 2013, the IDCC was founded by Wed Al-Harthy. She derived inspiration from her daughter’s diagnosis, and figured that she would bring a positive out of a negative. She devoted time and energy into creating a platform to serve diabetics, both young and old. The IDCC offers diabetics a program designed to enhance their daily living and increase their effectiveness in managing the disease. The program consists of three primary aspects that together promote the well-being of diabetics: Clinic, lifestyle and kitchen.
Clinic serves as the medical side of the center’s diabetes management. The IDCC is committed to educating the community about the disease, helping prevent those at risk, and treating those already victim. At the IDCC, specialist doctors not only diagnose and treat diabetics, but also provide patients with the knowledge and guidance needed to fully cope with the disease and limit its effects.
Lifestyle focuses on sharing essential holistic routines, such as physical activity and exercise. The IDCC offers customizable programs ensuring flexibility depending on the patient’s needs. Whether it’s a one-month exercise course or a year-round exercise regimen, the care center maintains flexibility, understanding that not every patient’s needs are the same. The International Diabetes Care Center includes an integrated gym with state-of-the-art equipment. This facility is used to help diabetics maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.
Kitchen concentrates on teaching dietary routines, crucial to the management of diabetes. The care center aims to transform every diabetic into a nutritionist. This can translate into positive life-changing effects. Knowing how to balance your diet appropriately and how to prepare suitable meals is an extremely beneficial skill for all diabetics. The International Diabetes Care Center even includes a kitchen, along with specialized nutritionists and chefs, ensuring patients receive all the information and tools necessary to manage their diet whenever and wherever they may be.
The International Diabetes Care Center is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but aims to support diabetics across the region and around the world. To date, the IDCC has positively impacted the lives of thousands of diabetics. And apart from treating, educating and encouraging diabetics, the care center is committed to doing its part in raising awareness of the disease.
Every year, November serves as Diabetes Awareness Month. The IDCC prioritizes its role in spreading awareness during the dedicated month. This year, the care center has been hosting seminars throughout the month in which select groups of diabetics share their experiences and methods of coping with the disease. Also, the IDCC has teaming up with the Ministry of National Guard’s Health Affairs Department to launch a two-day childhood diabetes awareness festival. It will serve as an awareness platform, offering visitors examinations for blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels and vital signs, as well as diabetes consultations covering medical and dietary knowledge. The event is set to launch today at the Mall of Arabia, running through the 29th and 30th of November from 4 pm to 10 pm daily, bringing an active end to Diabetes Awareness Month.
The writer is a Saudi political analyst who specializes in foreign affairs and protocol. He can be reached at: waleedaasa@gmail.com / Twitter: @waleedalg
