Frankel Diabetic Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) last Monday donated GH¢45,000 worth of diabetes care products to the La General Hospital in Accra to support in the treatment of the disease.
Rationale
According to the founder of the organisation, Ms Lydia Agyen Frimpong, the gesture was to help the hospital take care of diabetic patients, especially those who were unable to purchase the drugs.
“I, and some of my family members and friends are diabetic. We at Frankel, are bent on creating the awareness of diabetes and we think if people get more education on the disease, they will know how to prevent it and those who have it will know how to manage it,” she said.
Ms Frimpong, therefore, said the foundation would be embarking on a sensitisation mission in primary, junior and senior high schools.
Advice
The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Ebenezer Oduro-Mensah, who recieved the items, advised Ghanaians to be wary of the disease, saying “diabetes is mainly a lifestyle disease. Some of our patients got it when they were young. It has to do with destruction on the part of their body called the pancreas and majority of Ghanaians get it as they grow.”
He said many people were now taking diets, including fast foods that contained lots of sugar thereby exposing them to diabetes.
“We should reduce our sugar intake, eat fruits and vegetables, do more exercises and manage our weight to reduce our chances of getting diabetes,” Dr Oduro-Mensah added.
Appreciation
The Medical Superintendent expressed gratitude to the NGO.
“These items will help cater for patients who are financially weak, some of our patients sometimes check for sugar every hour, at times every four hours. These items will, therefore, go a long way to help those who cannot afford the cost,” he added.