Day: July 10, 2025

🩺 Dr. Ahmad Shahzad
Founder | Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation
Consultant Diabetologist | Educator | Advocate for Preventive Care

Diabetes continues to escalate as the world’s most pervasive health dilemma which spreads across millions of people including all regions of Pakistan. The latest statistics show over 33 million Pakistani citizens deal with diabetes hence the critical need for sustainable community-based diabetes care is essential now more than ever. Community Diabetes Care Programs provide localized people-first programs to deliver care services according to each person’s specific needs. The Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation (LDF) based in Faisalabad leads healthcare transformation through its community-driven diabetes care programs.

Extensive prevalence of Prediabetes exists as a preliminary state of diabetes, but people frequently underestimate its prevalence. Different community-based health programs recognized the absence of information and steps into action for diagnosis and guidance and awareness promotion. The evaluation of numerous studies in Pakistan indicates that 37 million citizens suffer from prediabetes.

A welfare foundation with hospital presence organizes initiatives that reach education facilities from primary schools to college institutions to eliminate knowledge gaps about healthy lifestyles.

Understanding Community Diabetes Care Programs

This program represents grassroots initiatives offering diabetes awareness together with education and prevention along with management services at a community level. They work as local-based initiatives that provide diabetes awareness services in addition to education and prevention and management services for the community. The primary goal of these community-based models diverges from traditional hospital systems through education and follow-up services distributed within schools and community centers including mosques and medical clinics as well as door-to-door visits.

The preventive nature of this model has made it so appealing due to its accessibility to communities. Community care serves as an essential service for people who lack access both to medical facilities with specialists and healthcare professionals. These programs create an environment whereby education and support merge together to build responsibility while benefiting healthcare services and ultimately raising entire communities up.

The Rising Threat: Diabetes and Prediabetes in Pakistan

The nation holds a high position among countries that exhibit the most extensive diabetes population levels. The health reports confirm that diabetes affects more than 33 million adult Pakistanis. Numerous people remain unknowing about possessing diabetes. Adults in Pakistan have the highest diabetes prevalence because they live inactive lives and eat improperly and delay seeking health care.

A person with prediabetes has elevated blood glucose levels that do not fulfill the criteria for type 2 diabetes diagnosis. If medical help does not arrive soon then most patients will develop the complete medical condition. The good news? The condition becomes treatable by increased awareness alongside life changes.

Early diagnosis alongside basic health guidance would substantially impact the lives of patients. Community programs serve an essential purpose through their ability to discover conditions early and provide organized information while delivering continuous backing.

Understanding Prediabetes: A Crucial Window for Prevention

People with prediabetes do not experience any noticeable symptoms which make the condition difficult to identify. Healthcare tests diagnose most prediabetes cases.

• Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS)
• HbA1c
• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

Before developing type 2 diabetes patients who have prediabetes experience elevated risks of heart disease and stroke. The welfare organization devotes substantial effort to instruct people about detecting diseases at an early stage, especially amongst people with these risk factors:

• Family history of diabetes
• Obesity or high BMI
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Poor dietary habits
• Women with a history of gestational diabetes

Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation: A Beacon of Hope

The Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation (LDF) spent its time raising diabetes awareness and extending healthcare services to Faisalabad under a community-oriented approach. The nonprofit began with healthcare education professionals and runs initiatives for both disease prevention and community-based outreach.

The core welfare effort in this movement continuously operates throughout various platforms with the goal of finding people in their preferred environments:

• Hospitals: Providing screenings and counseling in outpatient clinics
• Schools & Colleges: Educating teenagers and young adults on healthy habits
• Universities: Hosting seminars and workshops in collaboration with healthcare professionals
• Rural outreach: Organizing mobile clinics and free awareness camps

Such activities demonstrate an emerging insight that health outcomes improve through well-informed and supported individuals within their familiar surroundings.

Building Local Awareness

Education plays an essential role in maintaining community diabetes care. The public widely misunderstands diabetes by confusing various aspects of its symptoms along with therapy methods and daily modifications. LDF regularly organizes sessions which create space for open communication to battle discrimination against diabetes.

The strategies target both diabetes sufferers and their caregivers along with parents and younger people while working toward preventing future cases and starting interventions at an early stage.

Community-Based Interventions: The Real Game Changer

The strength of this welfare program lies in its first community approach. By taking health information to the streets, classrooms, and marketplaces, it effectively:

• Breaks cultural and social barriers around diabetes
• Fosters trust among people who are hesitant about formal healthcare
• Delivers information in local languages with culturally relevant messaging
• Empowers individuals to take control of their own health journey

This personalized model of care ensures that education and intervention are accessible, relatable, and actionable.

Help Us Help More: Support LDF’s Mission

At Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation (LDF), we aspire to establish a dedicated welfare hospital focused on diabetes care and management. This facility will adopt a holistic approach, addressing not only blood sugar control but also the many complications linked to diabetes. The goal is to create a comprehensive center where prevention, early detection, treatment, and education come together under one roof.

The expansion and effective execution of Life Defenders Foundation programs result from donors together with healthcare professionals and volunteers who support their community through financial gifts. The current success of LDF programs stems from donor generosity yet many more initiatives remain to be accomplished. Your donation—no matter how small—can:

• The support of a screening camp in a rural village forms part of their charity work.
• The organization will distribute testing kits along with health materials for educational school sessions.
• Fund mobile health unit outreach
• The program should support training programs for additional community health workers.
• The organization should implement expansive telemedicine services across remote districts.

By donating today, you are not just giving—you’re changing lives, securing futures, and strengthening communities. Together, we can build a healthier tomorrow.

👉 Visit LDF’s website to donate or learn more

Changing the Future of Diabetes in Pakistan

The fight against diabetes can’t be won by hospitals alone—it requires empowered, educated communities. This welfare initiative sets a clear example of how grassroots engagement can change public health outcomes.

By targeting both diabetic and prediabetic patients, and offering tools for lifestyle transformation, the organization is creating ripple effects that will benefit generations to come. Its presence in educational institutions ensures that the next generation understands diabetes—not just as a disease, but as a preventable challenge.

The Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation (LDF) Hospital will exist as one of the pioneer hope facilities in Pakistan, especially in Faisalabad, which will establish novel standards to manage diabetes treatment. This proposed advanced institution will be having a 300-bed capacity, and will serve not simply as a hospital, but as a multifaceted institution of care, teaching, and development. The LDF Hospital dream will come true through the gracious hands of Dr. Ahmad Shahzad Dr Ijaz Anwer and Prof Dr. Aamir Shoukat (Pro Vice Chancellor of Faisalabad Medical University) who perpetually believed that every patient, no matter his condition, should be provided with access to exceptional healthcare services.

Inspired Leadership, Collaborative Mission

A dedication of experienced and compassionate medical staff will operate the hospital. The formation of LDF Hospital as a specialized diabetes care center will be spearheaded by medical leaders including Dr. Ahmad Shahzad and Dr. Ijaz Anwer together with Prof Dr. Aamir Shoukat and Prof Dr. Hooria Aamir. Through their joint commitment these authorities will develop an environment characterized by superior standards in both patient management practices and medical educational programs.

Early Diagnosis: Why It Matters

The condition known as diabetes remains silent since many people miss its early warning signs which manifest subtly. When diabetes remains uncontrolled it produces dangerous medical situations that include cardiovascular complications and renal failure as well as nerve damage and blindness. Early diagnosis together with proper diabetes management requires immediate focus on individuals who have prediabetic conditions.

LDF Hospital will implement screening and monitoring procedures to diagnose people who are at risk of developing diabetes before they advance to full condition. Prediabetic patients who participate in lifestyle changes together with medical support experience major improvement in avoiding the progression to type 2 diabetes. At its early stages LDF’s preventive model minimizes the ongoing health and financial impact which diabetes creates for patients alongside their families and health services.

Advanced Facilities for Comprehensive Diabetes Management

The health provider LDF Hospital will provide complete care through their facilities to identify and treat all diabetes complications alongside their management needs for patients. Medical staff at LDF Hospital will provide personalized care to patients with complications like diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy and diabetic retinopathy and macrovascular diseases through their advanced diagnostic abilities and evidence-based treatment methods.

The hospital will deliver comprehensive medical care for early detection and advanced chronic condition management to serve every diabetic patient. It combines modern medical tools with expert endocrinologists together with diverse healthcare professionals to deliver maximum effectiveness in individual patient results.

Holistic Care: Beyond Medication

The distinctive quality of LDF Hospital rests in its complete approach to medical care. It will spend resources on lifestyle and nutritional guidance to extend beyond diabetes treatment beyond prescriptions. Healthcare professionals at the hospital will collaborate with diabetic and pre-diabetic patients to motivate sustainable lifestyle changes. The health support initiatives establish long-term medical benefits while stopping diabetes evolution in people who are at risk to develop the condition.

The healthcare center will deliver specialized treatment to patients with gestational diabetes which offers personalized care designed to safeguard birth health as well as maternal health throughout pregnancy.

Teaching, Training, and Research Hub

The healthcare facilities at LDF Hospital will function as treatment facilities and educational and research institutions. Healthcare professionals alongside nutritionists and research workers will complete their training at the hospital through instruction from industry leadership. The hospital will support innovation through clinical research that generates new information about diabetes care for global and local patient populations.

It will support trainee specialists through workshops and medical education while also providing conferences which keep all practitioners updated about recent industry progress.

Equitable Care for All

Accessibility will stand as one of the fundamental principles at LDF Hospital. Share of financial standing will make no difference at LDF Hospital because its staff will approach all patients with respect and care. The hospital will keep its commitment to equitable healthcare so rural and marginalized communities will maintain access to first-class healthcare services and educational programs and screening opportunities.

Hospital mobile health outreach and community-based programs will enable the organization to carry forward its essential mission through targeted services in areas with the highest need.

LDF Hospital will act as the leading medical organization that will advance diabetes treatment throughout Pakistan by both building patient independence and developing professional expertise and innovative practices. Under the leadership of the teamwork of committed healthcare specialists the hospital will emerge as a beacon of hope and healing and advancement.

As diabetes emerges as one of the foremost health challenges in a country, Dr. Ahmad Shahzad’s leadership and vision stands out. Having devoted his life to Pakistan’s diabetes care, Dr. Shahzad single-handedly tries to shift the care paradigm in Pakistan with the determination to raise the diabetes awareness, education and care in overlooked population segments.

Dr. Shahzad is spearheading efforts to close the gap between diagnosis, education, and comprehensive treatment as the founder of the Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation (LDF), particularly for individuals without access to high-quality healthcare.

Dr. Ahmad Shahzad: A Highly Qualified Medical Professional

A wide range of remarkable medical credentials that demonstrate Dr. Ahmad’s breadth of expertise and commitment to lifelong learning are brought to the table. Among his qualifications are:

• MBBS
• MCPS (Pakistan)
• Diploma in Diabetes (BMU)
• RMDC (Pakistan)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Gastroenterology and Hepatology (PIMS)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Ultrasound (BI, Canada)

As a Consultant Diabetologist, he currently treats patients with diabetes holistically, addressing not only blood sugar levels but also associated issues such liver and gastrointestinal health, diagnostic imaging, and managing chronic diseases.

Raising the Standard for Diabetes Management

He has spent more than four or five years actively promoting diabetes education and awareness, and as a result, he is well-known in the medical community. He attends most national and international medical conferences both as a lecturer and as a student. His multidisciplinary collaboration with the Primary Care Diabetes Association showcases his efforts to inspire general practitioners and to foster interest in specialized diabetes care.

The Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation: A Movement for Change

Under the leadership of Dr. Ahmad Shahzad, The Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation has emerged as a prominent welfare organization in Faisalabad, working towards increasing healthcare awareness while providing useable or free diabetes management services. Informing practitioners and patients about the importance of early identification and treatment is the goal of this foundation which operates as a registered non-profit organization.

Addressing Pre-Diabetes Before It Becomes Diabetes

One of the areas that he concentrates on is pre-diabetes, signifying an elevation in blood glucose levels that has yet to reach the diabetic range. Pre-diabetes can easily be reversed with the correct changes to one’s lifestyle yet remains undiagnosed often. Understanding this, LDF deals with early detection and screening drives that empower individuals to recognize negative risk factors like inadequate physical activity, unhealthy eating habits, and even family history.

These are tailored towards averting full-blown diabetes and they are very commonly conducted at the level of schools, universities and even the workplaces so diabetes medicine becomes integrated into the everyday life of the community.

Training Future Healthcare Leaders

Dr. Shahzad has been a proponent of improving the medical curriculum for quite some time now. He single-handedly organized several educational programs which inspired numbers of doctors to specialize in diabetology. His lectures and teaching approach stimulate evidence-based practice, paired with empathy and effective communication with patients, in addition to self-development. 

Alongside other institutions, he has organized diabetes awareness conferences in Faisalabad that gather health personnel, researchers, and patients. These conferences aim at exposing the attendees to the fundamental approaches in providing diabetes care, as well as the most modern diagnostic and treatment methods, including medication, lifestyle changes, and other relevant factors.

The Vision: A 300-Bed Welfare Hospital for Holistic Diabetes Care

One of the most pioneering initiatives by Dr. Shahzad, alongside the Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation, is working on is the construction of a 300-bed diabetes-specialized hospital, integrating additional services. This facility will focus on delivering complete multidisciplinary care, managing all major complications of diabetes, such as:

• Diabetic neuropathy
• Retinopathy
• Nephropathy
• Cardiovascular complications
• Mental health challenges
• Nutritional support and education

The modern facility will run on a welfare model which guarantees access for people who truly need it. This is a holistic approach that seeks to cater for the entire mind, body, and spirit of every single patient.

How You Can Support This Lifesaving Mission

The last hospital expansion came out in 2007 and has not been updated since in the West. Because of this, additional public funding, donations, and partnerships are important to support the further development of LDF’s initiatives. Here’s how you can contribute:

• Help sponsor a diabetes awareness camp or screening
• Give medical care supplies and testing equipment donations
• Aid in funding outlines and educator materials for training courses
• Partners in diabetes hospital build and operational logistics.
• Donate time or professional services in the realm of medicine and community service.

Support and donations, no matter how small, can make great impacts.

Conclusion: Legacy of Care and Commitment

Being a specialist in the field of diabetes care, Dr. Ahmad Shahzad, as an academician, a director of health policies and a diabetic healthcare consultant, aims to tackle diabetes in Pakistan through a community-focused approach.

He believes that there is no solution for diabetes without proper diabetes education coupled with its necessary advocacy, stating that building informatively structured healthcare systems with a focus on prevention as well as enhanced community enablement is very crucial.

Together with Dr. Shahzad and the Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation, they are a part of this transformative journey—communities that are educated, empowered, and enabled can truly prosper.

For consultation or appointment, you can contact at dr_ahmad_shahzad@yahoo.com.