Kenya launches plan to combat diabetes

More than 1.5 million Kenyans living with diabetes have been thrown a lifeline following the launch of a national strategy that seeks to make its management and care more affordable and accessible.

Public Health minister Beth Mugo Friday launched the plan with an appeal to healthcare providers across the country to reduce the cost of treating the condition.

The plan is contained in four documents namely: The National Diabetes Control Strategy, the National Clinical Guidelines for Management of Diabetes Mellitus, the National Diabetes Educators Training Manual and the National Diabetes Comprehensive Care Programme.

“I am aawre that the testing and treatment of diabetes is still out of reach of many Kenyans either due to their geographical location or economic circumstances,” Mrs Mugo said.

In response to this challenge, she explained that the ministries of Health were in the process of implementing a comprehensive care programme where services are provided at each level of health care right from the community.

The two ministries – Medical Services and Public Health, Mrs Mugo said, were in the process of retraining health care providers with 200 beneficiaries so far.

“In order to make the cost of treatment affordable to many people living with diabetes, I appeal to all healthcare providers to consider lowering costs and even further subsidizing treatment for diabetes to make it available to all those who need it,” the minister said in her keynote speech.

Mrs Mugo also asked Treasury to zero rate taxes and duties on all medical and laboratory consumables for diabetes. This is expected to translate into lower prices for eventual consumers.

Speaking to the Nation, the head of disease control at the Ministry of Public Health Dr Willis Akhwale said there was hope that Treasury would heed their request.

“Treasury has been supporting us especially in the management and control of non-communicable diseases since the last financial year. We shall sit and engage them on this too,” said Dr Akhwale.

People living with this condition spend at least Sh2,200 for a single dose of insulin a month. Others may require more than a single dose a month.

These people also require other forms of treatment that, as Dr Akhwale observed, are highly expensive besides a special diet and regular hospital checks. 

The new strategy is therefore aimed at accelerating the mainstreaming of diabetes policies and programmes to make the disorder an integral part of the national public health response to disease prevention at all levels of healthcare.

Furthermore, Mrs Mugo, said the plan will articulate strategic priorities in diabetes to ensure that services are directed to areas with potential to have more people with the condition and those at greatest risk.

However, the Ministry’s plans could be impeded by the low public awareness levels about diabetes.

Lack of proper information, the Ministry noted, has often led to late treatment-seeking behaviour. This behaviour could also be induced by stigmatisation of the sufferers by the community.

Yet, even in these modern times, many people with chronic non-communicable diseases are still denied life insurance and medical covers due to their conditions.

“Even in cases where they are accepted, they end up paying very high premiums. They should not be subjected to any form of discrimination,” said Mrs Mugo.

She appealed to Kenya’s development partners and stakeholders to pull together in the fight against diabetes. The minister also appealed to the development partners to review their focus and consider support towards prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.

The strategy envisions integrating treatment of diabetes with that of tuberculosis and HIV and Aids management, Dr Akhwale said.

The strategy received plaudits from Dr Anil Kapur, the managing director of World Diabetes Foundation, who said it would strengthen the country’s health systems and bring services closer to patients.

Information available indicate that it is the commonest non-communicable diseases of the 21st century affecting over 285 million people globally. This is, however, projected to rise to 438 million by 2030 if no interventions are put in place

An estimated 3.4 million people die globally from diabetes, 70 per cent of whom come from the developing countries majority of them from Africa.

Approximately 1.5 million people are living with diabetes in Kenya today but this could rise to two million by 2030 if no interventions are put in place.

Many more are unaware that they have this condition. Studies carried out locally further indicate that prevalence of diabetes ranges between 2.7 per cent in rural areas to 10.7 per cent in urban areas.

It affects all ages and all social classes.