Sudan inaugurated its first childhood diabetes center on Thursday to mark the World Diabetes Day.

“This center is the first of its kind in Sudan and tends to serve children diagnosed with diabetes,” Mohamed Ahmed Abdalla, director-general of Sudan Childhood Diabetes Center, told Xinhua.

“In Sudan, there are about 7,000 children diagnosed with diabetes type 1 according to our records.” Abdalla said.

He added that in Khartoum State alone there are around 3,000 children diagnosed with diabetes, whom will receive care from the newly-established center.

About 25 diabetes clinics have been established in all states of Sudan, while specialized cadres have been trained and the medication is provided for free.

Meanwhile, Khartoum State’s Governor Ahmed Abdoun Hamad, told Xinhua that his state fully supports the center.

“We, in Khartoum State, support this project. It will receive our endless support, officially and socially.” said Hamad.

Naeema Al Gasseer, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Sudan, told Xinhua that there was a problem with provision of insulin, the diabetes medicine, particularly in countries where the disease spreads.

She vowed that the WHO would work to provide the insulin to all patients.

The WHO maintains a genuine partnership with all health institutions in Sudan, and the newly-established childhood diabetes center is a model for this joint action, Gasseer said.

She noted that around half million children now live with diabetes worldwide.

She called for educating the children and families to lessen the complications of diabetes, saying that healthy practices, physical activity and healthy food, help preserve their health.

The World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation and the WHO, in response to growing concerns about the rising health threat posed by diabetes.

The day is marked every year on Nov. 14, the birthday of Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.