Not every doctor can handle cases of diabetes management. And Sanofi wants to change that.
The French pharmaceutical firm launched an online training programme for medics in Kenya. The multinational seeks to bridge the gap in the management of diabetes in the country as a small number of diabetes specialists exist.
Partnering with Diabetes Kenya, Kenya Diabetes Study Group and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the Nationwide Diabetes Management Training programme is targeting 2,000 general practitioners and clinicians.
“There is an intrinsic need to build capacity on diabetes management among the general practitioners in Kenya. Thus, training is essential to support early diagnosis and effective treatment of people living with diabetes,” said Sanofi East Africa Hub General Manager Peter Munyasi.
Beginning on June 26, the programme will run for three months and according to Sanofi is based on a curriculum that is accredited internationally and locally.
Doctors who sign up for the programme will access the training through the IDF School of Diabetes digital platform from a laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
“A competent patient caregiver is paramount to success in patient management. Diabetes care is dynamic and this high standard in depth innovative training will empower doctors across the counties for improvement of patient outcomes,” said Dr. Kirtida Acharya, Diabetes Kenya Association chairperson.
According to IDF, there are approximately 460,000 people living with diabetes in Kenya. Estimates indicate that this total is set to rise to over 1.3 million people within a generation.
With over 7,000 actively practicing health professionals in the country, only about 12 are endocrinologists thus possess the requisite expertise in diabetes management. This means that on average, most people seeking diabetes management help will do so from general practitioners.
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Am interested. How do I register?