Free diabetes screening, consultation at Festival Mall Alabang on Sunday

Many of the four million Filipinos who have diabetes do not know it, so a doctors' group will be offering free screenings and consultations to help raise awareness about the disease.

The Philippine Center for Diabetes Education Foundation (Diabetes Center Philippines) will hold "Beat Diabetes with a Knockout Punch" in Festival Mall Alabang on Sunday, July 24.

According to a press release from the doctors' group, free diabetes screenings will be offered from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The free consultations with endocrinologists and work-out sessions will be held at 10:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

There will also be talks on diabetes, exercise, diet, and medication from endocrinologists and other experts in the field of diabetes care and prevention. The speakers will include Dr. Augusto Litonjua, president of Diabetes Center Philippines; Dr. Juan Carlos Miranda, president of the Philippine chapter of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists; Dr. Nemensio Nicodemus of the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism; and Dr. Rima Tan, president of Diabetes Philippines.

According to Diabetes Center Philippines, about four million Filipinos have diabetes, with the country in the top 15 countries when it comes to diabetes prevalence. The World Health Organization also estimates that by 2030, almost 8 million Filipinos will have diabetes. — BM, GMA News

There will be free diabetes screenings and consultations at Festival Mall Alabang in Muntinlupa City on Sunday, July 24. The event will be held at the Carousel Court on the mall's second floor.

"Beat Diabetes with a Knockout Punch" is also sponsored by the Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Diabetes Philippines, and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.