In February, we celebrate Shirati Day, the anniversary of the Shirati Hospital. In the days leading up to it, a lot of free healthcare is offered. Stichting Shirati also participated with our Healthy Hearts program, through which we provide screening for heart and vascular diseases as well as diabetes to people aged 40 and older.

In the days before Shirati Day, we screened over 150 elderly individuals for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, and kidney function. This brings the total number of participants in the project, which was launched in the fall of 2023, to over 500.

While we expected there to be a lot of hidden illnesses, we were still surprised by the high number of patients; one in six people has diabetes, and one in three has high blood pressure. We assist these patients with lifestyle advice and prescribe medication where necessary. In the short term, we will be setting up weekly clinic hours so that people can return for further advice and treatment.

By detecting patients at an early stage, we expect to prevent, among other things, heart attacks, strokes, blindness, amputations, and death.

Check out the project page for more information: Healthy Hearts Project