Downtown Hanoi goes blue in response to World Diabetes Day

NDO/VNA—Sword Lake (Ho Guom) and Ly Thai To Park in the centre of Hanoi were lit up in blue on the night of November 13 in response to World Diabetes Day as part of global efforts to enhance public awareness of the disease.

Checking blood sugar for senior citizens (Illustrative image - Source: VNA)
Checking blood sugar for senior citizens (Illustrative image - Source: VNA)

The event was jointly held by the Health Ministry, the Hanoi People’s Committee and the Danish Embassy in Vietnam.

Statistics show that around 3.5 million Vietnamese had diabetes in 2015, and this number is forecast to grow to 6.1 million in 2040, putting a heavy strain on the public healthcare system and the quality of life of patients.

A survey of the Health Ministry in 2015 revealed that only 28.9% of diabetic patients received treatment at hospitals while 68.9% of sufferers of diabetes did not know about their conditions.