Theme: “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”
New Delhi: This year’s World Diabetes Day focuses on the global impact of diabetes, emphasizing collective action to reduce its growing burden, particularly in the WHO South-East Asia Region. The 2024 theme, “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps,” underscores the need for equitable and accessible diabetes prevention and management strategies.
The Diabetes Challenge in South-East Asia
- Impact: Diabetes affects approximately 246 million people in the region (2022 estimates).
- Unawareness: Over 60% of people with diabetes are unaware of their condition.
- Complications: Untreated diabetes leads to severe health issues, including heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations, creating financial and emotional burdens for families and healthcare systems.
WHO Recommendations and Best Practices
To mitigate diabetes risks, WHO advocates:
- Public Awareness Campaigns: Promote healthy lifestyles and early detection.
- Policy Initiatives: Implement tobacco control, obesity prevention, and trans-fat elimination policies.
- Multisectoral Approach: Align maternal, child, and adolescent health strategies with diabetes prevention through a life-course approach.
Current Gaps in Diabetes Care
- Only one in three adults with diabetes in South-East Asia receives treatment.
- A mere 15% have their condition under control.
- Primary healthcare systems face challenges, including inadequate access to standardized protocols, essential medicines, diagnostics, and trained professionals.
Progress and Future Goals
- By mid-2024, 23 million people with diabetes in the region were receiving protocol-based management.
- An ambitious target aims to provide 100 million individuals with diabetes and hypertension access to standard treatment by 2025.
Call to Action
Achieving equitable and affordable diabetes care requires robust policy implementation, strengthened healthcare systems, and enhanced public awareness to improve detection and management outcomes across South-East Asia.
