Lions Club Uganda on Saturday screened a total of 900 people for diabetes, to mark World Diabetes Day. The diabetes screening exercise took place at Kampala’s Kamwokya Christian Caring Community (KCCC) Health Centre, where Lions Club established a diabetes screening and awareness Centre.
Speaking at the function, Lions Club Uganda District 411B Governor, Dans Naturinda Nshekanabo, said diabetes can be prevented or reversed if detected early, through regular physical exercises and proper diet.
“Lions Club of Uganda are here to provide free diabetes screening services to help communities know their status and give them information about diabetes prevention and management," he said.
He said Lions Club shall continue to carry out diabetes screening at the Centre every Thursday and Friday, for a period of one and half months, when they will officially hand over the diabetes screening Centre to Kamwokya Christian Caring Community.
“Diabetes results from lifestyle habits, such as; excessive consumption of alcohol and sugars, which in turn brings about irreversible blindness. Patients who are diagnosed with diabetes and eye anomalies are given free medicine and reading glasses, donated by Lions Club in partnership with ASG Eye Hospital,” he said.
Israel Manzi, Lions Club Diabetes screening Project Officer reiterated the need for Ugandans to carry out regular diabetes screening, as it’s one of the lifestyle dangerous diseases. He said in Uganda, a total of 1.5 million people suffer from diabetes, without them knowing about it.
Lions Club has over past years carried out diabetes screening and treatment of preventable blindness, through health camps across Uganda.