International Diabetes Federation Grant Supports Jordanian Diabetes Micro-Clinic Program
BRUSSELS, Belgium and AMMAN, Jordan, May 29/PRNewswire/ -- Over 250 million people worldwide live with diabetes, many in the Middle
East. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) BRIDGES translational
research grant program is implementing and evaluating community programs to
reverse the diabetes epidemic by supporting a diabetes awareness and
prevention project in Jordan.
The Jordan Diabetes Micro-Clinic project is part of the Global
Micro-Clinic Project, a program that seeks to empower people to prevent and
manage diseases in economically disadvantaged and conflict-afflicted areas of
the world. The project seeks to provide people with diabetes with health
education opportunities and practical experience through workshops and social
support groups or "micro clinics". Through the Micro-Clinics, people with
diabetes can collectively maintain and share access to diabetes management
and education.
In Jordan the picture of diabetes is as alarming as the rest of the
region. Currently, 9.8% percent of the population lives with diabetes and
this number is expected to rise to 11.5% within 20 years. According to the
International Diabetes Federation, of the Top 10 countries with the highest
prevalence of diabetes, five are in the Middle East. In the United Arab
Emirates, 19.5% of the population is affected by diabetes; in Saudi Arabia,
it is 16.7%; In Bahrain 15.2%, in Kuwait 14.4% and in Oman 13.1%. By 2025,
the 380 million people will live with diabetes worldwide and these five
countries will remain in the top ten.(1)
The Jordanian Micro-clinic project has been designed to reverse this
growing epidemic. The project team will work through the Jordanian Ministry
of Health and health centres in the cities of Irbid, Ajloun and Karak, as
well as in the rural areas and refugee camps in surrounding areas. The
project has already successfully been piloted in 300 micro-clinics in Amman.
Micro-clinics are formed through existing social networks where members share
equipment, information and medical resources. They also provide a
psycho-social support system for each person with diabetes in the
micro-clinic who is in dealing with managing this chronic condition.
"We believe that the growing diabetes epidemic is one of the largest
public health challenges facing the Kingdom of Jordan and indeed the Middle
East region as a whole. The Global Micro-Clinic Project and its partners are
committed to addressing this problem in empowering the people of Jordan to
secure a healthy and prosperous future," said Daniel Zoughbie, founder and
director of the Global Micro Clinic Project.
According to Zoughbie, the successful implementation of the Micro Clinic
Project will promote wellness, alleviate the economic burden of poor health,
and provide a model comprehensive public health approach to the management of
diabetes in Jordan. The Community- based micro-clinics will provide further
access to diabetes education and management through local outreach, diabetes
awareness and trainings.
"Prevention and education messages are well-needed in the Middle East
Region. According to IDF Diabetes Atlas data, the Middle East has some of the
highest diabetes rates in the world," said Dr. Linda Siminerio, Chair of the
IDF BRIDGES Review Committee. "The region is a time bomb waiting to explode
unless programs like the Jordanian Micro-clinic Project help to educate
people and prevent diabetes. The BRIDGES program is ready to support them in
their efforts."
The Federation, through BRIDGES, is committed to converting research
findings into useful practices for the provision of quality care and
services. The diabetes education program in Jordan, along with the 10 other
selected translational research projects, was chosen because of its
innovative idea, demonstration of the potential for health care cost savings,
sustainability plans and the opportunity for its results to be widely
replicated in other settings.
The International Diabetes Federation independently manages the BRIDGES
program with an educational grant from Eli Lilly and Company and is committed
to promoting diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide.
Note to editors:
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is the global advocate for
the over 250 million people with diabetes worldwide. It represents over 200
diabetes associations in more than 160 countries. Its mission is to promote
diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. The International Diabetes
Federation is an NGO in official relations with the World Health Organization
and an associated NGO with the United Nations Department of Public
Information. The International Diabetes Federation leads the World Diabetes
Day campaign. Additional information is available at http://www.idf.org.
Bringing Research in Diabetes to Global Environments and Systems
(BRIDGES) is the global translational grant programme of the International
Diabetes Federation. It solicits proposals that support cost effective and
sustainable interventions that can be adopted in real world settings, for the
prevention and control of diabetes. Projects should be based on interventions
already proven to be effective in trials to prevent and treat diabetes, to
improve care of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and delay its complications. The
interventions proposed should have the potential to be widely disseminated to
clinical practice, individuals and communities. For more information, visit
http://www.idfbridges.org.
The Global Micro-Clinic Project (GMCP) is a non-profit that seeks to
empower people to prevent and manage diseases in economically depressed and
conflict ridden areas of the world. Initially piloted in the West Bank in
Palestine with people with diabetes, it has recently expanded to Jordan. Find
out more at http://microclinicproject.org/
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(1) Diabetes Atlas, 3rd edition, International Diabetes Federation, 2006
Source: International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
Contacts: Kerrita McClaughlyn, IDF Media Relations, office: +32-2-5431639, mobile: +32-487-530625, email: media@idf.org; Daniel Zoughbie, The Global Micro-Clinic Project, tel: +44-7726465561, email: daniel.zoughbie@gmcproject.org
2008-05-28 19:05:36 0372307 PRNEWSWIRE