Absence of numbers: If every third person in Budhni has diabetes, could you?
Need of the hour is to devise prevention plan based on accurate incidence, prevalence rates
PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
It was the eighth leading cause of death in the world between 2000 and 2012. Rough estimates suggest seven million people in Pakistan have it, but the government has no accurate count of how many have diabetes.
According to a survey carried out in 1995, almost 21 years ago, around 8.1% of the population was found with diabetes, a total (probably underestimated) of seven million people across the country. The same number is seen on international and local diabetes websites even in 2015.
Without these figures, devising strategies to prevent the disease will not be quite effective.
Even though the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government runs a project called ‘Insulin for Life’ at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), only 6,000 people could register for free insulin. That is 6,000 out of an estimated three million people with diabetes in K-P. But more recent surveys on a micro level in the city of Peshawar suggest diabetes has a high rate of incidence.
Raising awareness
To chalk out concrete plans to decrease the incidence of diabetes, doctors have suggested carrying out detailed surveys to determine exactly how many people have diabetes. In the absence of actual numbers, perhaps the alternative would be to raise awareness about the disease. Some experts say carrying out surveys and running awareness campaigns might still help prevent the disease.
Various NGOs have been working tirelessly to create awareness about diabetes among the public. These groups admit while they are doing their job by telling people to protect themselves from the disease, at the end of the day, it was the responsibility of the government.
“We are willing to do our part, but the government must make this a priority,” Insulin for Life Project Director Professor Dr A H Amir told The Express Tribune.
He stated the K-P government announced a task force which would have helped stakeholders carry out a survey but it had not been formed yet.
According to Amir, recently a survey carried out in Budhni surprised officials; it was revealed every third person in the area was suffering from diabetes. “This is alarming and shocking for us. It is high time the government stepped in,” he said.
Well-funded
Amir said, “We are not short of funds since a number of donor agencies are willing to extend support. World Health Organization (WHO) has offered technical support to conduct a survey.”
He said the government was carrying out awareness campaigns through newspapers and television channels against poliovirus which helped achieved targets. “We need a similar awareness programme to help people [understand how they can protect themselves] from diabetes.”
Besides Insulin for Life, K-P government, with assistance from donor agencies, launched ‘D-Talk,’ a pre-diabetes treatment and prevention project in six districts across the province. According to the programme agenda, officials once trained, will impart expertise and knowledge to other health employees at their respective health facilities in order to create awareness among people. They will provide services to diagnose and control development of complications in diabetes mellitus.
According to health experts, majority of people with diabetes were between the ages of 25 and 60 [and above] years – a nation’s productive age bracket. But until and unless the government knows how many people it has to target—as it does with polio—it will not be able to spread awareness efficiently or even provide treatment.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2016.
It was the eighth leading cause of death in the world between 2000 and 2012. Rough estimates suggest seven million people in Pakistan have it, but the government has no accurate count of how many have diabetes.
According to a survey carried out in 1995, almost 21 years ago, around 8.1% of the population was found with diabetes, a total (probably underestimated) of seven million people across the country. The same number is seen on international and local diabetes websites even in 2015.
Without these figures, devising strategies to prevent the disease will not be quite effective.
Even though the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government runs a project called ‘Insulin for Life’ at Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), only 6,000 people could register for free insulin. That is 6,000 out of an estimated three million people with diabetes in K-P. But more recent surveys on a micro level in the city of Peshawar suggest diabetes has a high rate of incidence.
Raising awareness
To chalk out concrete plans to decrease the incidence of diabetes, doctors have suggested carrying out detailed surveys to determine exactly how many people have diabetes. In the absence of actual numbers, perhaps the alternative would be to raise awareness about the disease. Some experts say carrying out surveys and running awareness campaigns might still help prevent the disease.
Various NGOs have been working tirelessly to create awareness about diabetes among the public. These groups admit while they are doing their job by telling people to protect themselves from the disease, at the end of the day, it was the responsibility of the government.
“We are willing to do our part, but the government must make this a priority,” Insulin for Life Project Director Professor Dr A H Amir told The Express Tribune.
He stated the K-P government announced a task force which would have helped stakeholders carry out a survey but it had not been formed yet.
According to Amir, recently a survey carried out in Budhni surprised officials; it was revealed every third person in the area was suffering from diabetes. “This is alarming and shocking for us. It is high time the government stepped in,” he said.
Well-funded
Amir said, “We are not short of funds since a number of donor agencies are willing to extend support. World Health Organization (WHO) has offered technical support to conduct a survey.”
He said the government was carrying out awareness campaigns through newspapers and television channels against poliovirus which helped achieved targets. “We need a similar awareness programme to help people [understand how they can protect themselves] from diabetes.”
Besides Insulin for Life, K-P government, with assistance from donor agencies, launched ‘D-Talk,’ a pre-diabetes treatment and prevention project in six districts across the province. According to the programme agenda, officials once trained, will impart expertise and knowledge to other health employees at their respective health facilities in order to create awareness among people. They will provide services to diagnose and control development of complications in diabetes mellitus.
According to health experts, majority of people with diabetes were between the ages of 25 and 60 [and above] years – a nation’s productive age bracket. But until and unless the government knows how many people it has to target—as it does with polio—it will not be able to spread awareness efficiently or even provide treatment.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 18th, 2016.