PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – ASSIST and Sanofi, a global pharmaceutical company, launched the Cambodia Education Program on Diabetes (CEP-D) which aims to raise awareness on diabetes and its impacts. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Phnom Penh Hotel on August 11 to celebrate the launch.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 230,000 cases of diabetes were reported in Cambodia in 2015. “The objective [of the project] is to raise public awareness of the disease and its very serious public health impacts. Moreover, we will also try to equip the medical community in Cambodia with the latest medical science information and knowledge” said Dao Thu Nga, head of Sanofi Cambodia Operations.
CEP-D aims to train medical staff, update treatment guidelines, and raise awareness for the whole population by setting up organizational structures, developing and conducting training programs for 1,180 Health Care Practitioners (HCPs), supporting peer-to-peer diabetes patient groups, and facilitating awareness raising events. These efforts will be backed up by solid media campaigns and a countryside roadshow.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease, and family members will undergo a lot of difficulties without proper knowledge and treatment,” said ASSIST Project Coordinator Maraneth Muth. “Through CEP-D, we will raise public awareness and help diabetes patients feel secure. They have the right to be cared for and their voices need to be heard.”
Project CEP-D is co-financed by SANOFI Cambodia and DEG. ASSIST partnered with local key stakeholders, such as Cambodia Society of Dialectology and Endocrinology, Medical Council of Cambodia, Ministry of Health, and University of Health Science, to implement the project.
