KUWAIT CITY, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait is taking effective measures to address diabetes, the Kuwaiti Minister of Health Basel Hamoud Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said Thursday.

At the Sixth Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes (GGSD) conference held in Kuwait, the minister said that the rise in diabetes in Kuwait offers massive challenges to the health system and sustainable development, stressing the necessity of implementing preventive programs.

The three-day conference aimed to raise awareness on the disease, and review strategies for its prevention.

In Kuwait, diabetes rates have risen from 23 percent in 2016 to 24 percent this year. The main factors behind the spread of diabetes are the unhealthy lifestyles and lack of physical exercise amongst the population.

Kuwait has invested 18 million Kuwaiti dinars (54 million U.S. dollars) in diabetes medicine in 2017 to bring down diabetes rates in Kuwait.