The project was organized by the Sverdlovsk Diabetic Society regional public organization, which has been educating patients for 28 years. The project was supported by the Sverdlovsk Region's Ministry of Social Policy and Ministry of Health.

Today, there are 147 thousand registered patients with diabetes in our region. Over the past 15 years, the number of patients has grown two and a half times.

“Diabetes is fraught with complications if not detected deliberately,” pointed out Igor Trofimov, the Minister of Health of the Sverdlovsk Region, at an event held in Yekaterinburg.

The proper lifestyle is a key factor for people with diabetes. Ideally, everyone should follow it. Proper nutrition, physical activity and medical supervision - with all these, patients can control their disease and live a full life. Experts and people who have lived with diabetes for decades shared how to achieve this.

The event was attended by general practitioners, endocrinologists, social workers, medical assistants, patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as well as city heads, representatives of the Ministry of Social Policy, and the media.

On this day, everyone was able to check their blood sugar level.  Of particular interest was the exhibition of new products for diabetes prevention and treatment. The Medsintez plant demonstrated its products too. As it turned out, the majority of the patients involved in the project were using Rosinsulin. Sverdlovsk citizens had a great opportunity to meet manufacturers and ask questions in person. Some people, once noticed familiar insulin packages, immediately approached and said: "I've been prescribed such cartridges and syringe pens."

 

"Great! So we will be happy to tell you about some changes in our production: we have improved the syringe pen's trigger mechanism. It's now easier to press," Roman Akhmatnurov, head of the pharmacovigilance department demonstrates the “new” injection tool. "You can take this reusable syringe injector home and try it out. We will contact you later to know your assessment: your opinion is important to us."

Aleksey Podkorytov, Medsintez Director General:

"In my opinion, the disposable syringe pen that we produce is the simplest and most convenient insulin injection tool. They are in high demand on the market. No matter how many pens we produce, the market takes them all. Nevertheless, it is important to us to know what nuances patients face, so that we can improve or hone it."

In total, the plant’s specialists distributed more than 80 syringe pens within the ProDiabet project. However, the work continues: endocrinologists from regional hospitals will shortly receive the pens with this modified trigger mechanism. The pharmacovigilance department expects to receive feedback from patients.

In each city, meetings with endocrinologists were held. So, Irina Martonova from Artyomovsky, where about three thousand patients with diabetes are registered, told how one can avoid complications with this dangerous condition. The lecture of Marina Kochergina, the Chief Endocrinologist of Yekaterinburg, was very interesting.

 

The project's workshops were especially helpful. The largest audience gathered at a workshop on proper nutrition organized by Medsintez employees together with doctors. Patients were told how to choose the right foods, what the 'bread unit' means, and how to replace foods rich in carbohydrates. Everyone could pick foods from the buffet onto their plate in accordance with the doctor's recommendations: there were mainly vegetables and fruits.