As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, BankDhofar has decided to focus on one of the most serious issues of today: diabetes awareness.
With the incidence of diabetes on the rise, BankDhofar will work closely with Oman Diabetes Association (ODA) to help the people of Oman become aware of the scourge and to get a broader understanding of how it can be managed and prevented. The campaign, which will be conducted across the country, will educate people about simple, yet effective measures to prevent the disease.
BankDhofar is the main sponsor of Diabetes Awareness Day 2011, which takes place on November 24. As a token of support to the Association, the bank presented a cheque for RO 12,000 to the Association.
Statistics show that almost 12.3 per cent of Oman’s population is now affected by diabetes with the country being ranked 9th overall in the world, on the prevalence of the condition in the adult population. On a positive note, 80 per cent of Type 2 diabetes can be prevented through a better diet, an increase in exercise and physical activity and through better lifestyle choices.
BankDhofar is fully committed to raising awareness of this in the community and to furnish the general public with the information necessary to make these changes to their lives.
BankDhofar is working with a number of high-profile organisations to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of diabetes. KIMS Oman Hospital is the health partner for the bank, offering diabetes clinics which will include blood pressure and blood sugar screenings as well as height-weight- body mass index check-ups.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Tony Mahoney, Chief Executive Officer, BankDhofar said: “BankDhofar has a very strong sense of the importance of taking positive action to enhance the awareness of diabetes prevention within our community through our CSR programme. As testament to this, we are proud to launch our new CSR logo at our event today. Our team at the bank is proud to be part of an organisation that truly cares. By working wholeheartedly with the Oman Diabetes Association we can make a real difference in the lives of many people.”
Hani Macki, AGM Strategy & Planning said, “Our campaign to build awareness of the disease will help people learn easy lifestyle and nutritional changes that can be made to prevent diabetes.”
Throughout the year BankDhofar will lead a number of initiatives to support the Diabetes Awareness Campaign. These will include diabetes screening camps, walkathons, charity events and seminars.