Nearly 5,000people undergo free glucose check-up at AXA’s Diabetes camps

DUBAI INTERNET CITY, UAE - Jan. 9, 2014 - PRLog -- Nearly 5,000 citizens from various walks of life took advantage of the first-of-its-kind Diabetes Awareness Campaign, launched by AXA Insurance Gulf – one of the largest and the leading non-life international insurers in the region, in partnership with Carrefour and KIMS Medical Centre.

The free glucose check-up camps were held at Carrefour – Deira City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre, where nearly 4,500 people participated; and at AXA shops in Dubai Mall, Dubai Internet City and Wafi Mall which brought together an additional 325 people, making it truly a one-of-its-kind social initiative.

Of these, a total of 482 respondents were diabetic, while 4,328 were non-diabetic. The check-ups revealed that out of the respondents who claimed to be non-diabetic, approximately 4.8% [about 50 people] were diagnosed with diabetes, while 14.48% [about 330 people] were tested to be at high risk to diabetes, while 80% were totally non-diabetic.

The campaign, which ran for eight days between November 22 and December 4, was held under the theme ‘Better Care About People’. The campaign coincided with the World Diabetes Month – November, and was aimed at raising awareness about diabetes and its seriousness among the UAE population.

During the camps, free blood glucose tests were conducted under the supervision of authorized doctors and nurses from KIMS Medical Centre.

At these camps, AXA and its partners not only conducted free glucose check-ups for the people but also educated them on the causes/ symptoms about diabetes, and its seriousness through different channels. The organizers also distributed educational flyers to public at the camps, and reinforced the same through awareness on axa-gulf.com and e-mail campaigns to AXA customers.

Jérôme Droesch, CEO of AXA Insurance Gulf, said: “To have 4,800 people taking advantage of our free glucose check-up camps is phenomenal by any standards. While we are thrilled with the response, this was just the first step in our long journey against diabetes. We have undertaken the mantle to create more awareness to tackle this deadly condition – especially considering that half of the patients with diabetes are unaware of the condition.”

He added: “Through our endeavour, we suggested a wide array of lifestyle changes to be introduced to fight the disease. We are happy to contribute to this fight, and thank our supporters – Carrefour, KIMS and the Dubai Health Authority for their valuable contribution.”

Kumaresh Babu, Chief Operating Officer of KIMS Medical Centre, said: “This was a unique campaign in more ways than one – while we helped people on understanding the risks that could lead to diabetes, we also helped educated people who are suffering from the condition on what they should do next. This is a serious condition, and could lead to devastating implications and we made the respondents aware about this. We are thankful to everyone – AXA, Carrefour and the health authority for their support in making this initiative such a success.”

The Diabetes Awareness Campaign is part of AXA’s Corporate Responsibility, and is integral to the company’s commitment to build better understanding about the health risks faced by individuals and the society at large due to diabetes.

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has seen an explosion of diabetes in recent times and it is estimated that over 26.6 million people are living with diabetes in the region and this figure is expected to double in the next 20 years.