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Message from the Head of Ramadan Study Group

The month of Ramadan has special significance for all Muslims of the world as fasting in RAMADAN is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslim constitute around 1.7 billion people of the world population. It is obligatory for all healthy adult Muslims to fast from dawn to dust for whole one month each year.

For many chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension etc there are no clear cut guidelines for patients who are stable and can fast during Ramadan. Recommendations & suggestions are based on personal experiences and are expert opinions but evidence based guidelines are missing. As Muslim scientists it is our responsibility to find out answers of unanswered questions.

Secondly, until we gather sufficient evidences, whatever knowledge we have, we need to disseminate it. Ramadan specific education is the corner stone of safe fasting, the notion proven in several studies. Baqai Institute of Diabetology & Endocrinology, IDF center of education took initiative in 2008 to form Ramadan Study Group. The aim and objectives of Ramadan Study Group are:

  • To educate patients, doctors and diabetes educators about Ramadan specific recommendations.
  • To develop Ramadan specific education material.
  • To conduct research in the field of diabetes and Ramadan at national and international level.
  • To develop a website for educating the people with diabetes regarding fasting in Ramadan.
  • To conduct a multi-national, multi-centered studies in order to develop evidence based guidelines for safe fasting in patients with diabetes.

Since 2008 Ramadan Study Group has done dozen of studies which were published in international and national journals and many are in pipeline. We are associated with Diabetes and Ramadan international alliance and are among contributors to forth coming IDF Ramadan guidelines. Alhamdulillah, Ramadan study Group of Baqai Institute Of Diabetology & Endocrinology has also played an active role in Ramadan specific diabetic education campaign through arranging pre-Ramadan workshops for general practitioners, educational material for doctors, GPs and patients, a specific website to educate patients, doctors & people, at large. SMS & D-NET educational campaigns were started in this year. Besides, we have significantly contributed in the formation of Ramadan & Diabetes conversational map tool & its launching in Pakistan.



Professor Muhammad Yakoob Ahmedani

Head of Ramadan Study Group
Professor of Medicine
Baqai Institute of Diabetology & Endocrinology
Baqai Medical University