With November being World Diabetes Month, SANOFI took upon themselves as a global pharmaceutical company to bring free Diabetes screening in the community of Lenasia, held at Impala Crescent school.
SANOFI is dedicated to bringing patients novel pharmaceutical treatments, educational solutions and patient support programs to aid them in their quest to a healthy, full life.
In the long-term treatment of diabetes and to achieve patient self-management an unwavering team approach, which includes, friends, family, your doctor, and Diabetic Nurse Educator, is key. To aid in this, SANOFI has developed an array of educational material not only on Diabetes as a whole, but also covering diet, exercise and lifestyle, and in conjunction with Diabetes South Africa they have made this available in English, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Afrikaans.
This past weekend they held a #DiabetesYourType Screening Event which was aimed at screening for glucose, cholesterol, HIV and TB to everyone in the community, educate the community about the risk factors of diabetes. They brought together some of their health practitioners to assist in educating and assisting everyone about #DiabetesYourType.
We managed to speak to one of the organizers of the event, Tshilidzi and she had this to say:
“At Sanofi, we believe in contributing towards a more empowered approach to healthcare and wellness especially with regards to diabetes. The #DiabetesYourType campaign is about encouraging people to test for diabetes so that they manage their glucose levels and ensure that those who already have diabetes know their type and treat it according to the right treatment regimen that works for their type. We will be rolling out testing stations across different communities in South Africa over the next few months.”
“The most important thing is to get people tested for diabetes as there are many people who are pre-diabetic but are not aware. We were very excited by the turnout and engagement we received at Impala Crescent School in Lenasia over the weekend. Young and old people showed up to get tested and were very proactive about knowing their glucose levels. This is exactly the kind of empowerment approach we wish to encourage”, she added.
With over 60+ people tested, SANOFI are on a good start with their company as they plan to move to more communities in and around the country as they continue to encourage everyone to get tested and check their glucose, whether young or old.
The video below is from some of the community members that were at the event as they shared their experience.
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By: Bradley Brizzy
Bradley@sapositivenews.com
