President Milanović Meets with Representatives of the Croatian Diabetes Association
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today held talks with representatives of the Croatian Diabetes Association, a social and humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the medical and social protection of people with diabetes.
The Croatian Diabetes Association is the umbrella organization that unites over 50 diabetic societies from all parts of Croatia, and as such, is a key interlocutor on all issues related to diabetes, emphasized the Association’s President, Davor Bučević. He also informed President Milanović about the content of the recently held 16th Congress of Persons with Diabetes Mellitus. The Congress, which took place under the patronage of the President of the Republic in March in Zadar, featured experts who presented the latest findings and insights on the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
Despite numerous preventive actions, the number of people with diabetes continues to rise, partly due to the insufficient interest of citizens in their own health, warned representatives of the Croatian Diabetes Association. They also highlighted the important role of family medicine in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. According to their data, around 400,000 diabetics are registered in Croatia, which confirms that diabetes is one of the country’s major public health problems and one of the leading causes of mortality.
In discussing the challenges, they pointed out issues such as delayed disease detection, inadequate glycemic control, insufficient education, and poor lifestyle habits. They also drew attention to the difficulties faced by children with diabetes, particularly the fact that in some cities, these children encounter problems when trying to enroll in kindergartens.
In addition to President Davor Bučević, the meeting at the Office of the President was attended by the Association’s vice-presidents: Doris Bailo, also president of the “Cukrići” Association in Zadar, and Mihajlo Čizmić, also vice-president of the Split Diabetes Society, as well as the administrative secretary of the Croatian Diabetes Association, Sandra Kerim, and external associate Ivana Jurakić. President Milanović was accompanied by Jadranka Žarković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Marko Beljan