Diaverum was an official campaign partner of World Kidney Day, an annual global campaign aimed at raising awareness of the importance of the kidneys to our overall health. To support this important cause, we organised a variety of activities across our 24 locations in March.
Celebrated on 13 March, this year’s World Kidney Day theme, “Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect early, protect kidney health”, focused on prevention. It emphasised the importance of early detection and protection of kidney health to prevent chronic kidney disease (CKD) and related complications.
To mark the occasion, Diaverum organised an event at its headquarters on 18 March, inviting people to learn more about how to protect their kidneys and take the opportunity to get their blood pressure checked.
During the event, participants had the opportunity to hear from representatives from Diaverum’s Leadership Team. Dimitris Moulavasilis, Diaverum’s CEO, shared insights into how digitalisation enables personalised care and Diaverum's value proposition; Dr Carla Santos, Corporate Medical Vice President at Diaverum, spoke about kidney health and how someone can best protect their kidneys, highlighting the most common causes of CKD, which are lifestyle-related conditions such as diabetes & high blood pressure.
In addition, we were honoured to be joined by representatives from Sweden’s healthcare sector. Maria Helling, CEO at Swecare, a non-profit organisation which helps the Swedish life science sector strengthen its international relationships and collaborates closely with Diaverum, shared insights on how Swedish innovation contributes to better global health; furthermore, Ronny Ljung, Chairman of Njurförbundet Syd (South division of the Swedish Kidney Association), spoke about their important work supporting individuals with kidney diseases and their families.
At Diaverum, our culture of True care isn’t restricted to our patients, it also applies towards our employees. For this reason, our World Kidney Day activities included internal initiatives as well. We organised a special edition of our online employee meetings called ‘FIKA’ (after the Swedish tradition of a coffee break), entitled "Prevent & reverse diabetes and kidney disease – the power of lifestyle medicine”. Hosted by Dr Carla Santos, the event was opened by Dr Fernando Macário, Diaverum’s Chief Medical Officer sharing his insights on the importance of early detection and prevention of CKD. We also had the privilege of hearing from Dr Emad George, Consultant Endocrinologist and Diabetologist at M42’s Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, who led a lively, thought-provoking discussion on lifestyle medicine and its role in protecting kidney health.
Meanwhile, our local teams around the world organised a variety of activities to raise awareness about kidney health among their patients and communities. Here are just some examples:
-
Albania: A series of awareness campaigns was organised for kidney testing and prevention, in high footfall locations such as shopping malls & parks, along with educational campaigns in schools. In addition, free kidney health tests were provided at Diaverum clinics for patients and their family members.
-
Brazil: A large public event in Aracaju (Northeast region) was organised in partnership with the State Secretariat of Health, where creatinine and blood pressure testing was offered along with kidney disease education. Additionally, smaller educational events were held at Diaverum clinics.
-
China: A series of educational events and free consultations were organised at six different locations.
-
France: Representatives from Diaverum’s Draguignan Dialysis Center visited Trans-en-Provence and the Draguignan Shopping Center to conduct screening and information campaigns aimed at the general public.
-
Hungary: A team-building event and brainstorming session under the theme “CARE. FUTURE. AWARENESS” was held to raise awareness about kidney health, dialysis, and prevention.
-
Italy: A free nephrology screening day was organised at the Dono Svizzero Hospital in Formia, alongside screening events and public consultations in various cities, including Fondi, Copertino, and Grottaglie. In Copertino, the team collaborated with the Italian Red Cross for free screenings. Meanwhile, educational activities were also organised in schools.
-
Kazakhstan: Open days were held in all clinics, where nephrologists offered free consultations and screenings.
-
Lithuania: An event was organised to celebrate an important milestone for one of their clinics: nine successful transplants within a year. To commemorate this occasion, all patients were invited to the clinic for a heartfelt celebration.
-
North Macedonia: A series of educational events was organised across the country.
-
Poland: An educational programme was run in 13 schools in 12 cities, under the slogan "Healthy Children - Healthy Kidneys. Kidneys have power!" The sessions were led by dialysis nurses and Diaverum mentors for students.
-
Portugal: Screenings for diabetes and blood pressure were arranged, promoted via local social media and their website.
-
Singapore: Free blood sugar and blood pressure testing was organised for patients, caregivers, and community members.
-
Spain: The World Kidney Day charity race in Madrid was sponsored, in addition to organising events at its clinics.
Dr. Fernando said: “At Diaverum, we are committed to protecting kidney health, through early detection, proactive care, and patient-centred innovation. We adopt a holistic, value-based approach that extends beyond dialysis. By focusing on prevention, early intervention, and continuous innovation, we help patients delay disease progression and maintain their independence for as long as possible".
"Raising awareness, promoting routine screenings, and ensuring equitable access to care are crucial steps toward achieving better patient outcomes & sustainable healthcare solutions. I am both delighted and proud of the activities our teams organised worldwide. Together, we are advancing patient care and enhancing the lives of patients worldwide.”