PDLF 2014 delivers outline of Islamabad call for diabetes control
March 03, 2014
Islamabad
A proposed outline of the ‘Islamabad Call to Commitment and Action,’ which will eventually lead to the formulation of the National Diabetes Action Plan and Policy document for Pakistan, was presented at the concluding session of the Pakistan Diabetes Leadership Forum (PDLF) 2014 here on Sunday.
The outline combines the collective wisdom of health practitioners and policy makers from Europe, Middle East and Pakistan. These experts converged in the capital for two days to highlight the alarming spread of diabetes in Pakistan and to drive efforts for improved prevention, diagnosis and care of diabetes for all Pakistanis.
The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC), in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), the Diabetic Association of Pakistan (DAP), and several other partners, with support from Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk. The event opened on Saturday with Minister for NHSRC Saira Afzal Tarar as the chief guest.
The presenting panel shared that the recommendations will be adopted and integrated into the final Pakistan Call to Action document. Actions will be included in the PDLF summary report to be endorsed by the host and co-hosts and shared later in 2014. The long-term goal is to facilitate the process of developing a National Diabetes Action Plan and Policy document for Pakistan.
Presenting the proposed outline of the national action plan, the secretary general of Diabetic Association of Pakistan Prof. A. Samad Shera highlighted that healthy lifestyle, combined with exercise, was the key to good health.
Addressing the concluding session, the Minister of Health of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Shaukat Ali Yousufzai announced that the KPK government will be starting a Rs25 million project on diabetes in the next four months, and will be providing free insulin to all diabetes type 1 patients and to lower income families with type 2 diabetes.
According to the IDF, there are around 6.7 million people with diagnosed diabetes in Pakistan. This number is estimated to rise to 12.8 million by 2035, which puts Pakistan among the top countries with the highest number of population suffering from diabetes.
Whenever there are any discussions with respect to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Pakistan including diabetes, it is heartening to note that the country has a solid foundation on which interventions for future action can be planned.
One of the good things about Saturday’s session was its emphasis on the ‘National Action Plan on Prevention and Control of NCDs and Health Promotion in Pakistan,’ which was developed 10 years ago through an innovative partnership between the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and Heartfile.
Speaking in the plenary session on the first day of the Forum, the president of Heartfile Dr. Sania Nishtar said the plan is still implementable and referred to the Punjab Task Force on NCDs, where potential exists to take it forward. She clarified the post-18th Amendment federal-provincial responsibilities in NCDs. “NCD prevention and control warrants major regulatory and fiscal measures around tobacco control and diet, which are a federal responsibility enshrined in the Constitution. Health information reorientation towards NCDs also falls in the federal purview. However, when it comes to incorporation of NCD prevention in the work plan of health providers and services, both from a population and high-risk approach, provinces are fully empowered to make own choices,” she stated.
Talking to ‘The News,’ Dr. Sania elaborated that the new ministry of health allows for certain elements of the NCD policy to be dealt with federally. “But capacity, commitment and clarity of purpose would be key to serving that role,” she cautioned.
Earlier in the opening session, the minister for NHSRC Saira Afzal Tarar highlighted the urgency and scale of the challenge presented by diabetes in Pakistan. “The challenge is great in size and complexity and will require the focus of policy makers, healthcare professionals, industry and media alike,” she pointed out.
The first panel discussion consisted of high-level dignitaries such as IDF’s president Sir Michael Hirst, chairman of WDF Prof. Pierre Lefèbvre, and president of Novo Nordisk Lars Rebien Sorensen.
Concluding the first panel round, Sorensen stated that “Diabetes is a major challenge to the healthcare system in Pakistan as well as to people’s quality of life. Only around 3-4% of people with diabetes reach their treatment targets.”
A proposed outline of the ‘Islamabad Call to Commitment and Action,’ which will eventually lead to the formulation of the National Diabetes Action Plan and Policy document for Pakistan, was presented at the concluding session of the Pakistan Diabetes Leadership Forum (PDLF) 2014 here on Sunday.
The outline combines the collective wisdom of health practitioners and policy makers from Europe, Middle East and Pakistan. These experts converged in the capital for two days to highlight the alarming spread of diabetes in Pakistan and to drive efforts for improved prevention, diagnosis and care of diabetes for all Pakistanis.
The Forum was hosted by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC), in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), the Diabetic Association of Pakistan (DAP), and several other partners, with support from Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk. The event opened on Saturday with Minister for NHSRC Saira Afzal Tarar as the chief guest.
The presenting panel shared that the recommendations will be adopted and integrated into the final Pakistan Call to Action document. Actions will be included in the PDLF summary report to be endorsed by the host and co-hosts and shared later in 2014. The long-term goal is to facilitate the process of developing a National Diabetes Action Plan and Policy document for Pakistan.
Presenting the proposed outline of the national action plan, the secretary general of Diabetic Association of Pakistan Prof. A. Samad Shera highlighted that healthy lifestyle, combined with exercise, was the key to good health.
Addressing the concluding session, the Minister of Health of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Shaukat Ali Yousufzai announced that the KPK government will be starting a Rs25 million project on diabetes in the next four months, and will be providing free insulin to all diabetes type 1 patients and to lower income families with type 2 diabetes.
According to the IDF, there are around 6.7 million people with diagnosed diabetes in Pakistan. This number is estimated to rise to 12.8 million by 2035, which puts Pakistan among the top countries with the highest number of population suffering from diabetes.
Whenever there are any discussions with respect to the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Pakistan including diabetes, it is heartening to note that the country has a solid foundation on which interventions for future action can be planned.
One of the good things about Saturday’s session was its emphasis on the ‘National Action Plan on Prevention and Control of NCDs and Health Promotion in Pakistan,’ which was developed 10 years ago through an innovative partnership between the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization and Heartfile.
Speaking in the plenary session on the first day of the Forum, the president of Heartfile Dr. Sania Nishtar said the plan is still implementable and referred to the Punjab Task Force on NCDs, where potential exists to take it forward. She clarified the post-18th Amendment federal-provincial responsibilities in NCDs. “NCD prevention and control warrants major regulatory and fiscal measures around tobacco control and diet, which are a federal responsibility enshrined in the Constitution. Health information reorientation towards NCDs also falls in the federal purview. However, when it comes to incorporation of NCD prevention in the work plan of health providers and services, both from a population and high-risk approach, provinces are fully empowered to make own choices,” she stated.
Talking to ‘The News,’ Dr. Sania elaborated that the new ministry of health allows for certain elements of the NCD policy to be dealt with federally. “But capacity, commitment and clarity of purpose would be key to serving that role,” she cautioned.
Earlier in the opening session, the minister for NHSRC Saira Afzal Tarar highlighted the urgency and scale of the challenge presented by diabetes in Pakistan. “The challenge is great in size and complexity and will require the focus of policy makers, healthcare professionals, industry and media alike,” she pointed out.
The first panel discussion consisted of high-level dignitaries such as IDF’s president Sir Michael Hirst, chairman of WDF Prof. Pierre Lefèbvre, and president of Novo Nordisk Lars Rebien Sorensen.
Concluding the first panel round, Sorensen stated that “Diabetes is a major challenge to the healthcare system in Pakistan as well as to people’s quality of life. Only around 3-4% of people with diabetes reach their treatment targets.”
