Indus Hospital to support diabetes care expansion plan across Pakistan
In collaboration with Health Promotion Foundation, IHHN to help establish 3,000 free clinics for underserved communities
IV Report
KARACHI: The Indus Hospital & Health Network (IHHN) has
partnered with the Health Promotion Foundation (HPF) to establish 3,000
dedicated diabetes care units across Pakistan, with a special focus on
providing free consultations and high-quality care to vulnerable populations.
The announcement was made during a
diabetes awareness session organised for media professionals at the IHHN
facility in Korangi on July 15. The session, attended by IHHN President Dr
Abdul Bari Khan and other senior executives, marked the first in a planned
quarterly series titled “Dialogue with Media” under the broader “With
HealthWise” initiative.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Abdul
Bari said the initiative aims to empower journalists with accurate and
evidence-based information to influence public attitudes and behaviors
regarding diabetes.
“With the HealthWise series,
we hope to equip media personnel with the tools and knowledge to become change
agents in the community,” he stated.
Participants at the session
expressed serious concern over the growing prevalence of diabetes in Pakistan
and its widespread impact on individuals, families, and the country’s economic
and social development. They stressed the urgent need for a national diabetes
registry and called on the government to take a proactive role in developing
comprehensive prevention, screening, and care strategies.
Leading the technical discussion was
renowned diabetologist Prof Abdul Basit, who recently joined IHHN as Director
of the newly established Indus Diabetes and Endocrinology Centre (IDEC).
Sharing data and clinical insights, Prof Basit noted that over 33 million
people in Pakistan are living with diabetes, and 30 to 40 percent of them also
suffer from depression or psychological stress.
“People with diabetes are two to
three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population,”
he warned, underscoring the dire shortage of trained mental health
professionals in the country.
“We must integrate mental health into chronic disease care — and we must do it
now.”
Elaborating on the new collaboration, Prof Basit explained that HPF was founded in 2023 by a group of like-minded individuals committed to improving diabetes care in Pakistan.
“IHHN’s collaboration with HPF aims
to establish 3,000 charity clinics dedicated to diabetes management. These
units will particularly target underserved rural and semi-urban communities,”
he said.
He added that the joint effort will
combine resources and expertise to scale up effective primary prevention, build
capacity through healthcare worker training, and launch wide-reaching awareness
campaigns around diabetes prevention, early detection, and healthy lifestyle
choices.
“Together, IHHN and HPF are
committed to ensuring not just sustained access to diabetes care, but a lasting
impact in curbing the disease burden in Pakistan.”
Also speaking at the event, Dr
Kamran Siddiqi of Hull York Medical School, University of York (UK), termed
depression among people with diabetes a growing public health concern in
Pakistan. He emphasised the importance of supporting patients' emotional
well-being alongside medical treatment.
“There are innovative, practical ways
to rapidly scale up mental health support across the healthcare system, without
relying solely on scarce mental health professionals,” he noted.
IHHN CEO Prof Syed Zafar Zaidi reaffirmed the network’s broader vision, stating that IHHN remains committed not only to providing free-of-cost healthcare but also to advancing expert-led public education to reshape health narratives across the country.
Photos courtesy: IHHN
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