The first session of the four-day webinar series titled “ON-CALL: Power Up to Prevent Diabetes – a growing concern affecting both the young and the adults”, which was organised by AIESEC in University of Peradeniya in collaboration with Lanka Hospitals PLC, was successfully concluded on 23 November with over 400 participants on both Zoom and Facebook Live.
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Representatives of AIESEC in University of Peradeniya and Lanka Hospitals[/caption]
AIESEC in University of Peradeniya is the fifth local committee of AIESEC in Sri Lanka, which was promoted to the highest level very recently, followed by the excellent performance within a brief period since its establishment while contributing its best to the vision of AIESEC. They were also recognised as an entity with the best value delivery globally. Currently, it runs more than 10 different volunteering programmes on six different United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an active, talented membership of 200-plus individuals.
For the project ON-CALL, AIESEC in University of Peradeniya has collaborated with their official entity healthcare partner, Lanka Hospitals, the most accredited hospital in the Sri Lankan healthcare sector.
What is project ON-CALL?
ON-CALL is a new initiative by AIESEC in University of Peradeniya in partnership with Lanka Hospitals, which aims to tackle a timely issue regarding non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their significant rise as a result of the lifestyle change that came about with the pandemic.
This project will consist of four sessions conducted by the country’s most renowned medical personnel and will address four all-around relevant and significant topics.
Striving to achieve SDG No. 3, this project will ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages. In an attempt to battle the deadliest health crisis of the modern world, NCDs, and prevent the already concerning statistics from taking a turn for the worse, this joint venture hopes to instill awareness among communities to create change that comes from within each individual.
The knowledge one will gain from these webinars could be the key to rejuvenating one’s wellbeing for a longer and healthier life. It could be the proper first step to let your life take a turn for the better and revolutionise a generation to come.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to equip yourself with the proper knowledge that could enrich the lives of you and your loved ones.
Power up to prevent diabetes
The keynote speakers of the session were National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) Consultant Endocrinologist, Sri Lanka Diabetes Federation (SLDF) President, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) Vice President, and Lanka Hospitals Visiting Consultant Dr. Manilka Sumanathilake and Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist and Lanka Hospitals Visiting Consultant Dr. Navoda Athapattu.
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From left: Dr. Manilka Sumanathilake, moderator Rasula Yadithya, and Dr. Navoda Athapattu[/caption]
The panellists discussed the effective ways of improving diabetes management, preventing complications, and improving the quality of life of people who are living with diabetes, including adults, children, as well as adolescents.
Dr. Sumanathilake discussed diabetes, Covid-19, and the connection between the two conditions. He pointed out that people with diabetes are more likely to have worse complications of Covid-19, if they are infected with the virus.
“The more health conditions someone has (for example, diabetes plus heart disease), this can add to their risk of getting those serious complications from Covid-19,” he said, also emphasising the importance of taking the vaccine for Covid-19 and making healthy lifestyle modifications to control diabetes in this new normal era.
Dr. Attapattu specifically explained and elaborated on how to keep a strict eye on the blood glucose levels of a child, identify the symptoms of diabetes and pre-diabetes in children, and obtain proper diabetes care. She also explained how to manage child obesity, which, she stressed, can lead to type 2 diabetes. As experts in their field, they related how new findings in the field can be incorporated into clinical practice and how to apply clinically relevant highlights to improve patient lives.
The second session will be on cardiovascular diseases and conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, which are some of the most prominent causes of death worldwide. The third session will be on cancer, undoubtedly a topic full of misconception, fear, and doubt. Lastly, the fourth session will focus on mental health, which has become ever more relevant during the blunders of the pandemic.
The next few sessions will be conducted in the near future. Register for updates on the upcomy sessions through email and WhatsApp. The sessions will be free of charge and open to the public. The sessions are brought to you as webinars via Zoom and Facebook Live platforms.
Scan the QR code below or visit: http://aiesec.lk/oncall-registration to register for the events.
