Maisha Health is offering free blood glucose measurements at selected sites across the country as part of World Diabetes Month commemorations.
The Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe health tech unit said the awareness campaign was aimed at detecting early signs of diabetes.
The chronic disease, which affects about 1,4 million people in the country, is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation.
Mr Maurice Newa, a senior Cassava Executive, said Maisha Health has invested in modern technology to combat the rising prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases, including diabetes.
“The Connected Health solution leverages the Internet of Things technology to allow remote monitoring of diabetes patients by their doctors or any other healthcare professional of their choice,” Mr Newa said.
“This empowers diabetic patients to manage their own health through self-testing, with the added assurance of their doctor monitoring them, from any part of the world,” he said.
Diabetes occurs primarily as a result of poor diet and lack of sufficient physical activity – which most often leads to obesity.
These factors are compounded by genetic and environmental factors. Management of the disease typically involves adherence to medication, exercise and healthy eating, and regular monitoring of blood sugar levels.
Maisha recently rolled out Maisha Tele-health Centres, where members of the public can consult medical doctors via the safety and convenience of video calling and electronic health records, in response to COVID-19 induced restrictions that made it difficult for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes to access medical doctors.
Mr. Newa said the timely detection of diabetes and proper education can reduce the risk of amputation, improve quality of life, and enable better treatment options.
“It is our hope, as part of the leading digital services company in the country (Cassava Smartech), to impact societies by coming up with digital health solutions that save lives and ensure that the vulnerable receive convenient and effective care at all times,” he said.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, one in every two people with diabetes is undiagnosed.
As a consequence, many people are not aware that they have diabetes only until complications develop.
Maisha – through its Health Tips service – offers health education for diabetes prevention or diabetes management to over 100 000 subscribers.
To subscribe, Dial *147# and select the ‘Diabetes’ option.
