Southeast Asia sees over 482,000 diabetes-related deaths every year: WHO

Colombo (The Uttam Hindu): Southeast Asia, including India, sees over 482,000 diabetes-related deaths every year, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, while calling for the need to boost the prevention and control measures against the blood sugar condition.Diabetes is a global health concern and can potentially lead to complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation.

The WHO noted that the countries in the Southeast Asia Region have made significant progress in provisioning services for the management of diabetes.Till June, over 60 million people have been placed on protocol-based management for diabetes and hypertension. This is expected to reach 100 million by 2025.

However, despite efforts, challenges remain. More than 260,000 children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes face limited access to insulin and monitoring. The incidence of type 2 diabetes is also increasing among young people in the Region, the global health body said.“Bridging the service gaps to ensure timely access to diabetes care can save lives,“ said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia.Wazed called for making "care services equitable, comprehensive, accessible, and affordable" for all.

She was speaking at the two-day Regional Commemoration of World Diabetes Day 2024 under the theme ‘Breaking Barriers, Bridging Gaps’ in Colombo, Sri Lanka. To address the growing burden of diabetes, health experts and officials also adopted ‘Colombo Call to Action’. The Call to Action underlines catalytic actions and collective commitments of Member countries to accelerate efforts to unite, integrate, innovate, treat, track, and educate to reduce the risk of diabetes and ensure that those diagnosed with the disease have access to quality treatment and care.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a video message to the gathering, said that more than half of the 800 million people living with diabetes “do not receive treatment". The WHO chief pressed the need to "intensify efforts to meet global targets and ensure better prevention, diagnosis, and management of diabetes”. The UN agency suggested measures such as equipping primary healthcare with standard treatment protocols, essential medicines, quality diagnostics, and skilled professionals to meet the growing demand for diabetes care. Wazed noted that preventing diabetes "is a shared responsibility of governments, healthcare providers, and communities".