Govt’s support for diabetes treatment is abysmal - International Diabetes Federation chairperson

The Chairperson for International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Elizabeth Esi Denyoh, has recounted how the national association has for the past two years not been able to get government subsidy.

In her view, the behaviour of the government points to neglect and an abysmal show of support towards the people living with diabetes.

For example, she said the government should be able to subsidize fruits in the school feeding programme, but that has not been done, adding that daily exercises in school, which will be a way of preventing and fighting the disease, has not been encouraged. 

Denyoh made this revelation at an event to commemorate the 2023 World Diabetes Day.

 

"We need an urgent subsidy for diabetic products, as most good ones are not subsidized by NHIS, and as such, there is rise in complications," she noted.

Esi Denyoh therefore called for an urgent intervention from the government, through the Ministry of Health, for the support of patients.

Diabetes, she stated, is a life-threatening condition that is caused by the body’s inability to utilize sugar, leading to a build-up of sugar in the blood. 

According to her, diabetes is a chronic cardiovascular condition which can result in  kidney failure, damage of limb (amputations), stroke, impotence and eye disease - that can lead to blindness.

"Diabetes is said to be one of the rising killer diseases globally, claiming one life every eight seconds and a limb lost at every 30 seconds,” reports from WHO and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have shown.  

She disclosed that as at 2013, about 382 million people had diabetes worldwide.

"Type 2 Diabetes makes up about 90% of the cases. This is equal to 8.3% of the adult population, with equal rates in both women and men," she added. 

The African continent, she said, counts approximately 13.6 million people with diabetes.

She averred that in 2014, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that diabetes resulted in 4.9 million deaths, making it the 8th leading cause of death.

The Africa region of IDF, which mainly includes sub-Saharan Africa, counts for approximately 7 million people living with diabetes, meanwhile, estimates for the region for 2025 are likely to double and reach 15 million.

She added that the Diabetes Association is ever ready to partner MOH to train health personnel in diabetes education which was started in Bibiani.

The Diabetes Association, through its education modules, is also ready to roll out a diabetes education in all districts in MOH.