The Ministry of Health (MoH), in partnership with Doctors
for Healthy Living (D4HL) and the National Treasury, on Monday conducted a
staff wellness screening exercise at the National Treasury Building as part of
activities leading up to World Diabetes Day 2025.
In the sessions, at least 154 Treasury staff were screened
and given personalised medical advice from healthcare professionals.
The initiative aims to promote early detection and
prevention of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Kenya’s
working population, in line with this year’s global theme, “Diabetes and
Well-being at the Workplace.”
World Diabetes Day, marked annually on November 14, highlighted
the daily challenges faced by workers living with diabetes, including stigma,
discrimination and lack of adequate support, all of which can affect health,
productivity and overall wellbeing.
The national commemoration was held at the Nairobi West Prison Grounds,.
The initiative was led by the Ministry of Health in partnership with Nairobi City
County and several health organisations, including the NCD Alliance of Kenya,
Kenya Red Cross, Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Centre, and World
Diabetes Foundation.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, seven in
ten people living with diabetes are of working age, while four in five
experience diabetes burnout.
These concerns have raised alarms over declining
productivity and their broader economic impact. In Kenya, diabetes cases have
continued to rise.
The 2018 National Diabetes Study estimates prevalence at 4.5
per cent, with men and older adults most affected.
A 2022 Cost of Illness Study placed the yearly cost of
diabetes at Sh24.6 billion, with urban areas carrying the greatest burden.
Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, attributed
the rise in diabetes and other NCDs to the country’s demographic and
epidemiological shifts.
“Locally, this rise is largely explained by the demographic
and epidemiological transition whereby an increasingly aging and urbanising
population witnesses a public health shift from predominantly ill-health due to
infectious diseases to NCDs and injuries,” he said during the launch of the
National Clinical Guidelines on Management of Diabetes Mellitus.
The screening was conducted under D4HL’s flagship Know Your
Numbers campaign, which encourages individuals to monitor five key health
indicators: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, waist
circumference, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Dr. Gladwell Gathecha, Director of the MoH Division of
Cancer and NCDs, praised the partnership with D4HL, noting that the Know Your
Numbers campaign was first rolled out among ministry staff in May.
“We will continue to work with D4HL to ensure that more
Kenyans are screened and educated,” she said.
