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During a forum called ‘Largest Diabetes Awareness Lesson’, which was hosted by the Health Ministry, Novo Nordisk Gulf and the ministry broke the Guinness World Record for the largest number of audience at a lecture on diabetes.

Over 1,570 people gathered at the event which featured a lecture on Women and Diabetes to coincide with World Diabetes Day, which fell yesterday.

The lecture was conducted by King Hamad University Hospital consultant endocrinologist Dr Dalal Al Rumaihi in the presence of Ms Al Saleh and Health Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Walid Al Manea.

“This year the theme of World Diabetes Day being ‘Women and Diabetes’ we have a number of plans lined up, especially in co-operation with the Supreme Council for Women in the coming days,” added Ms Al Saleh.

“One of the major steps will be to start awareness workshops and lectures in girls’ schools as well as to co-ordinate with civil societies.

“We will also be enhancing measures at primary health care centres to encourage women for early check-ups.”

Meanwhile, Dr Al Manea said a strategic plan would be put in place to tackle the increase in figures.

“One in every six people in Bahrain has diabetes, which is a higher percentage when compared with the global statistics (which is around 10pc) while in Bahrain it is 15.6pc (of the total population),” he said.

“This is more than usual and definitely a challenge, but the good thing about this is maybe in Bahrain we have these figures because of our advanced diagnostic measures.

“Also, the high level awareness among the people about the prevalence and the need to control it could be another reason.

“There are high chances of misdiagnosis in diabetes and this could be attributed to the lower numbers globally.

“However, the numbers – 15.6pc of the population with diabetes – is a burden on us and hence we need more established programmes and provisions for the management of the condition to keep the numbers low.

“We definitely need to have a plan in place, maybe a five-year strategy to reduce this number and we will be soon working on it.”