Director in charge of Allied Health at the Ministry, Dr. Ignatius Awinibuno, representing the Minister of Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has launched the Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) Programme in collaboration with Sanofi.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to combat the rising rates of diabetes among schoolchildren.
The programme, launched under the Affordable Access to Diabetes Care (AADC) initiative, will focus on raising awareness, promoting healthy lifestyles, and improving access to care for junior high school students, teachers, and parents across Ghana.
Speaking on behalf of the Health Minister, Dr. Ignatius Awinibuno, emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue. He said, these cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are very concerning, especially among schoolchildren.
According to him, the programme’s are in three key areas of focus, helping children with type 1 diabetes to confidently manage their condition, promoting reducing stigma and discrimination in schools, and type 2 diabetes should be prevented through healthy diets and lifestyle education.
The initiative will initially be rolled out in 13 public schools, with educational materials tailored to the Ghanaian context. These materials will be integrated into school curricula through teacher training workshops, beginning in the Greater Accra Region, the announcement said.
Dr. Awinibuno also said “the ministry are committed to see that the diabetes education is available in every corner of the country, and the Ministry had been officially handed over to Ghana Education Service and also, the Ministry of Education to see to the implementation country wide”.
Dr. Ardilles Adopo, Medical Director at Sanofi, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting people living with diabetes, since 2023, Sanofi has made significant contributions to diabetes care in Ghana, including supporting the dissemination of national diabetes guidelines, donating diabetes equipment to four health centers, mentoring 160 general practitioners, and enrolling over 240 healthcare professionals in global diabetes training.
According to Dr Ardilles through the KiDS Programme, Sanofi and the Ministry of Health will provide education to 7,700 children, parents, and teachers. Additionally, 35 teachers have been trained to lead school-based diabetes awareness efforts.
The initiative is seen as a crucial step towards preventing diabetes and improving the lives of those affected by the disease, particularly among vulnerable schoolchildren, across Ghana
