The increasing number of diabetes patients can be prevented with good promotive and preventive efforts in the communityJakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Health Ministry is collaborating with a global health company from Denmark to push diabetes education efforts in order to reduce the state's financial burden from covering the treatment of patients.
"The increasing number of diabetes patients can be prevented with good promotive and preventive efforts in the community," Deputy Minister of Health, Dante Saksono Harbuwono, said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Data published by the Center for Health Economics and Policy (CHEP) of the Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia (FKM-UI), and the Indonesian Endocrinology Association (PERKENI) in 2016 showed that the Indonesian government spent 74 percent of diabetes treatment costs on treating complications arising from diabetes.
According to data from the International Diabetes Federation, in 2021, 537 million people aged 20 to 79 years globally, or 10.5 percent of the total population in the age group, were living with diabetes.
Related news: Vice Minister equates Indonesia's diabetes problem to an iceberg
If there is no intervention, this figure is projected to increase to 643 million by 2030 and 784 million by 2045, Harbuwono highlighted.
In Indonesia, the number of diabetes patients has continued to increase from 10.7 million in 2019 to 19.5 million in 2021. Indonesia is now ranked fifth in terms of the number of people with diabetes in the world, up from seventh in 2019.
According to Harbuwono, three diabetes prevention strategies are currently being pursued by the government, including educating people who do not have diabetes, early detection of people with risk factors for diabetes, and treating and controlling risk factors for complications in people who have been diagnosed with the condition.
At the commemoration of World Diabetes Day 2022, the Ministry of Health, together with Danish health company Novo Nordisk, carried out education on healthy lifestyles and built awareness on screening for risk factors and blood sugar levels as preventive measures against diabetes and the management of the condition.
Related news: BPJS Kesehatan strengthens preventive measures to lower diabetes cases
Market access and public affairs director of Novo Nordisk Indonesia, Banarsono Trimandojo, said that a Diabetes Walk activity was held on the theme BE DiaBEST (education for controlling diabetes) as part of the commemoration.
During the activity, which was held at Plaza Gedung Sate, Bandung, Novo Nordisk Indonesia and all of its partners invited the public to be physically active by taking up aerobics and healthy walking; checking their health, especially for risk factors and blood sugar levels; and understanding diabetes through health talk shows and competitions, such as “Fill My Plate.”
Related news: Health Ministry outlines three diabetes-handling concepts
"Therefore, we are putting our best efforts to educate the public, so they can understand diabetes for more optimal prevention and treatment," Trimandojo said.
Apart from the Diabetes Walk, health screenings were also conducted in remote areas. In addition, the ministry and the company launched a Diabetes Registry & Diary feature on the PrimaKu application.
The health screenings in remote areas were carried out under the auspices of the Affordability Project program, which is being implemented at 46 community health centers (puskesmas) and villages in West Java province.
Meanwhile, the launch of the Diabetes Registry & Diary feature on the PrimaKu application was a part of the Changing Diabetes® in Children (CDiC) program. Through the feature, parents or families of children with Type 1 diabetes can register the children for the CDiC program and record their health conditions, including blood sugar levels. The data recorded in the application will help doctors to provide more appropriate treatment.
World Diabetes Day is commemorated on November 14 every year. The theme for this year was “Education to Protect Tomorrow” and focused on raising public awareness about blood sugar levels.
The warning was first coined by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991.
Related news: Diabetes Day reminder of importance of physical exercise: ministry
Related news: Pandemic Fund needs more contributions to function optimally: Widodo
Related news: President Jokowi presses for ending war, maintaining collaboration
Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
