What’s your glucose level?: Rs25m set aside to provide diabetics with free insulin

By 2030, Pakistan will have approximately 13.9 million patients suffering from diabetes.

PESHAWAR:

The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) has announced Rs25 million for providing free insulin to patients in the province.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the ‘Insulin for Life Programme’ at the Postgraduate Medical Institute in Hayatabad Medical Complex on Wednesday, K-P Health Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the government will provide free-of-cost treatment facilities to diabetic patients in nine major hospitals of the province.



Yousafzai said the first phase of the project will last for four months and will start in four teaching hospitals of K-P, after which the insulin will be provided to other district hospitals. He said that Rs12.5 million has already been released for the purpose, while the remaining amount will also be released soon.

“If we can control diabetes in our province, the burden of many other diseases will automatically be brought under control,” said the minister.

Focal person for the Insulin for Life Programme, Professor Dr AH Aamir said in his presentation that there are nearly 7.6 million diabetic patients in Pakistan. By 2030, the International Diabetes Federation predicts Pakistan will rank fourth on the list of the top 10 diabetes-prevalent countries, with approximately 13.9 million patients, he said.

Dr Aamir explained the two different types of diabetes, saying that type-1 is an autoimmune disease and affects younger people and children, whereas type-2 occurs in adults or older people, and is caused by external reasons such as stress or an unhealthy diet. He added that the symptoms for diabetes range from body aches, specifically pain in the limbs, excessive fatigue and unintentional weight loss or gain.

The doctor added that, initially, insulin banks will be established at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Lady Reading Hospital, Khyber Teaching Hospital and Ayub Teaching Hospital. After this, he said, the facility will be extended to other hospitals in K-P. Patients who register themselves with these hospitals will be provided insulin free of cost for four months, said Dr Aamir.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.