​Elijah Tshikulumela
In commemoration of World Diabetes Day, Kalafong Hospital in Tshwane recently hosted a campaign to raise awareness about the impact of the disease as well as promoting the role of the family in the management, care, and prevention.  
World Diabetes Day is celebrated annually on 14 November and the theme for this year is Family and Diabetes. 
On the day, health professionals at the hospital's Nutrition unit educated patients and community members about the symptoms and early warning signs of diabetes. Screening of the disease was also conducted.
Research conducted by International Diabetes Federation in 2018 discovered that one in two people currently living with diabetes that are undiagnosed and the vast majority of these have type 2 diabetes. The research further states that Diabetes claimed about 4 million deaths in 2017. 
During his address, Kalafong Hospital CEO Dr Sello Matjila said ''if diabetes is left untreated or unmanaged it can lead to life-changing complications such as blindness, amputation, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke".