The programme, which premiered on World Diabetes Day, takes viewers to rural Georgia for a look at how WDF partnerships work – and the difference that they make.
16 November 2020 Gwendolyn Carleton
On November 14, the news-style programme Diabetes Matters had its global online premiere.
Diabetes Matters features the voices of people with diabetes, health practitioners and advocates, and was created to raise diabetes awareness for World Diabetes Day 2020 and beyond. The 47-minute programme was produced by ITN Productions in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation and Diabetes UK.
The programme’s fourth segment visits Improved control of diabetes in remote areas in Kvemo Kartli region, WDF17-1471, a WDF partnership with the Georgia Red Cross Society (GRCS).
Change for the poorest communities
“Poverty is one of the key barriers to accessing diabetes healthcare across the world. For this report, we went to Georgia to see how the World Diabetes Foundation is working with the Georgia Red Cross Society on an ambitious project to bring about change for country’s poorest communities.”
Thus begins the 5-minute segment, which visits the village of Tetrikskaro to show how the GRCS is activating its network to identify people with diabetes and help them gain access to care.
The film includes interviews with GRCS President Natia Loladze and WDF Head of Programme Hanne Strandgaard, as well as healthcare professionals, GRCS volunteers and patients. It explores multiple aspects of the project, including door-to-door outreach, visits with healthcare providers, a mobile diabetes clinic, and patient self-support groups.
Klimenti Ioseliani, Director of the Tetrikskaro Public Health Centre, describes the project as nothing less than "a miracle":
“When a person can't go to a hospital … can't go to an outpatient clinic but can get a checkup at home? What more of a miracle do you want? They get this help at home completely free of charge.”
The segment notes that the Red Cross is looking to expand the programme to other regions - and is confident it will be able to continue its work after WDF funding ends in 2021.
See the Diabetes Matters Georgia segment (5 mins, YouTube)
See the full Diabetes Matters programme (47 mins, IDF Media Hub)