In order to continue its awareness raising campaign on diabetes, Friends of Diabetes, Sierra Leone (FODSL) in collaboration with the management of Africell has started a “ know your sugar status campaign” at its headquarters, Wilberforce.
Speaking to Awoko, the Coordinator of FODSL, Salome Hydes-Jones, a practising nurse in the United Kingdom explained that as part of her organisation’s awareness campaign on diabetes, she approached management of Africell on the need for staff to know their sugar status for a healthy living.
From discussions, Madam Hydes-Jones said management of Africell realised the need for staff to know their sugar status, noting that a healthy work force will contribute positively to national development.
She called on both the public and private sectors to invest in the health of its workforce, noting that when a nation is healthy, development will increase faster, because when people are healthy, less will be spent to cover ill health expenses.
As early as 7:30 am yesterday, staff lined up at the grounds of its headquarters to get tested. Nurse Hydes-Jones gave a short lecture on the management of both the type 1 and type 2 of diabetes, stressing that people should eat moderately of everything, but must avoid huge intake of carbohydrate, fats and oils, as well as sugary and alcoholic beverages.
During the testing process, some staff members were afraid to do the test, but Nurse Hydes-Jones used her professional skills to give counselling, as she gently pricked the left thumb to carry-out the test.
She stated that when an individual blood sugar reads over 6 and upwards, it is a cause for concern, and the person should start thinking seriously about reshaping his or her eating habits, including exercise in order for them to be able to manage and live healthy with the disease.
Some of the staff explained to Awoko that they were delighted that management decided to launch “know your sugar status” which will help them to practise healthy living and continue to give of their best to duty.
By Ade Campbell
Tuesday February 02, 2016
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