“Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps”: WHO Southeast Asia Director calls for diabetes management on World Diabetes Day

On the occasion of World Diabetes Day on Thursday, Saima Wazed, the World Health Organisation Regional Director for Southeast Asia, highlighted the urgent need to address the growing burden of diabetes in the region.

In a statement, Wazed said that this year the theme for the day is “Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps,” calling for collective efforts to overcome the challenges people face in accessing diabetes prevention and management services.

According to recent estimates, diabetes affects approximately 246 million people in the WHO Southeast Asia Region and uncontrolled diabetes can lead to severe complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness, and amputations. “These complications not only impose an emotional and financial burden on individuals and families but also significant financial strain on healthcare systems,” Wazed said in her statement.

The WHO Regional Director said that over 60 per cent of people living with diabetes in the region were unaware of their condition, making awareness campaigns on prevention, detection, and management essential.

“The public needs to be made aware of the prevention, detection, and management of diabetes through awareness campaigns integrated with campaigns aimed at healthy lifestyles and those targeted at maternal, child and adolescent health, considering the life course approach,” the statement read.

She stated that the prevention of diabetes requires a multisectoral approach and an enabling environment and countries in the region were already implementing various policy measures to address risk factors such as tobacco use, obesity, trans fatty acids, and physical inactivity.

However, she noted that access to diabetes care remains a significant challenge and in many countries, fewer than one in three adults with diabetes is receiving treatment, and less than 15 per cent of people with the disease have their condition under control.

“In our region, less than one in three adults with diabetes is on treatment and less than 15 per cent of people living with diabetes have the disease status under control. The lack of readiness of our primary healthcare systems in terms of standard management protocol availability of essential medicines, issues related to availability and affordability of quality diagnostics, and trained healthcare professionals need to be remedied immediately,” the statement read.

She stated that there was an immediate need to strengthen primary healthcare systems by ensuring the availability of essential medicines, diagnostic tools, and standard management protocols and training healthcare professionals to address this issue.

Wazed noted that progress was being made in the region and that by mid-2024, over 23 million people with diabetes are expected to be receiving protocol-based management.

“The countries in the WHO Southeast Asia Region are making steady progress in the provision of services for the management of diabetes. More than 23 million people with diabetes have been placed on protocol-based management by mid-2024, aiming to reach the SEAHEARTS target of 100 million with diabetes and hypertension to be placed on standard treatment by 2025,” the statement read.

The WHO Southeast Asia Director said that there was a need to integrate diabetes services into primary healthcare systems, which includes implementing the WHO HEARTS D technical package, which provides essential medicines and diagnostics, and improving systems for monitoring diabetes outcomes.

Additionally, integrating diabetes care with programs addressing infectious diseases such as tuberculosis can provide mutual benefits for both tuberculosis and non-communicable disease programs, the statement added.

Wazed on the occasion further called for collective action to ensure that equitable, affordable, and high-quality diabetes care becomes a reality for all.