By Amina Abdul Salam CAIRO - Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Dr Hala Zayed has confirmed that a national strategy has been drawn up to care for diabetic patients by providing them with medication to prevent the complications of the disease from developing. Dr Zayed noted that a new system for registering the data of diabetic patients at hospitals and specialised centres nationwide would begin soon. She said that more attention would be paid to health education programmes and raising awareness of preventive methods through adopting healthy dietary habits. Dr Zayed pointed out that diabetes was one of the most common genetic diseases worldwide and that there were 200 million patients suffering from the disease, globally. Studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) predict that this number will be doubled by 2025. The increase in the number of diabetics will occur in the developing countries because of overpopulation, bad dietary habits and obesity. The most common complications of diabetes are weak eyesight which leads to professional disability, gum inflammation and diabetic foot, which is the most dangerous of the complications, because it may lead to amputation. She said, "All these problems lead to decreased productivity and increased expenditure on treatment, with negative effects on the national economy."