Danish Pharmaceutical Novo Nordisk in collaboration with the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh announced the Captain of Bangladesh Cricket Team Mashrafe Bin Mortaza as brand ambassador for the disease awareness campaign ‘Changing Diabetes’.
Diabetes is one of the common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), identified by World Health Organisation.
The captain will work as a “Changing Diabetes Brand Ambassador” to create awareness on the prevention, detection, management and control of diabetes. He will focus on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness regarding diets to prevent diabetes. The Danish embassy hosted the event today.
Mashrafe said, “It is a major concern to know that diabetes is growing at an alarming rate as 7.1 million people are living with diabetes in Bangladesh and 50% of them don’t know that they are suffering from diabetes.” International Diabetes Federation’s data showed that a total of 129,313 people died last year due to diabetes in the country, the captain lamented. He suggested that everyone should go for regular physical exercise and healthy diets to prevent diabetes.
The slogan of the changing diabetes brand ambassador is, “act now, change diabetes.”
Prof A.K. Azad Khan, President of Diabetic Association (BADAS), said, “The control of diabetes epidemic is a big challenge for us as well as to the public authorities. To control and prevent the growth of diabetes like NCDs, awareness is the main catalyst,” Prof Khan said.
“BADAS is very happy to partner the project and I am requesting the govt. to join the project as it is a very good scope for working through public-private partnership,” he added.
A Rajan Kumar, Managing Director of Novo Nordisk, said, “Our ultimate aim is to create awareness on diabetes and its symptoms and contribute towards achieving sustainable development goals and to ensure more people can live a life with diabetes free of complications.”
