The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that unless urgent step is taking in addressing the increasing rate of diabetics in Africa, number of people living with diabetes in the African Region will rise to 54 million by 2045, which poses a significant dual health and economic burden, including catastrophic spending by individuals to control their disease.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti stated this in her message to mark this years World Diabetes Day in Abuja.
According to her, more than 24 million adults are currently living with diabetes in African region alone with half of them remaining undiagnosed and left untreated.
Speaking further, “diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, nerve damage, kidney failure, lower-limb amputation, and eye disease that can result in blindness.
“compounding the challenge is that Africa has the lowest investment rate in diabetes care worldwide, at only 1% of the region’s health expenditure. Health systems are also traditionally designed to deal with acute, infectious diseases, without sufficient attention paid to chronic diseases like diabetes.
Dr Moeti noted that managing diabetes requires a sustained effort to balance physical health activity, healthy diet, mental well-being, adding that WHO in the African Region is committed to holistic solutions, including proper nutrition, access to the requisite essential medicines, and mental health support. Equally crucial are comprehensive prevention strategies to address risk factors including obesity, poor diet and physical activity, combined with community engagement to ensure good support systems and reduced stigma.
“Already, African Member States has endorsed WHO’s Framework for the Implementation of the Global Diabetes Compact (GDC) in Africa focused specifically on the challenge of integrating diabetes care into broader health systems in a multi-sectoral approach. It provides a roadmap for countries to strengthen diabetes prevention, diagnosis and care, especially at primary health care level.
She however called on individuals, communities, governments, health workers, policymakers and civil society organizations to join hands and act now. “For individuals, prioritize healthy lifestyle, and if you’re already living with diabetes, have regular medical check-ups.
“Communities should play their role by creating supportive environments that promote healthy living, reduce stigma, and provide access to affordable diabetes care and education. For governments, we commit our full support to your efforts to implement policies that enhance access to essential medicines, strengthen primary health care systems, and foreground investment in diabetes prevention and care.
Strengthening diabetes control in the African region demands that we address key gaps, including myths and misconceptions about diabetes, fragile primary health care systems and insufficient capacity and training of health care workers.
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