A panel discussion at a meeting in Hà Nội on November 11 on the occasion of World Diabetes Day 2023. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

HÀ NỘI — Health experts called for raising awareness among the community, health workers and policymakers about diabetes prevention at a meeting in Hà Nội on November 11 on the occasion of World Diabetes Day 2023.

"The increase in diabetes around the world seems to be unstoppable, but we have a duty to act to prevent its development," said Deputy Director of the Medical Services Administration Vương Ánh Dương at the meeting.

“The Ministry of Health calls on all levels of Government, unions, agencies, organisations and all people to pay attention to diabetes, and together light up hope for the bright future of diabetes prevention and control activities in Việt Nam. Let's take action today to change the future of diabetes,” said Dương.

Deputy Director of the Medical Services Administration Vương Ánh Dương speaks at the meeting. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

Experts call on the community to be proactive in healthcare; have a healthy lifestyle; assess risk for early detection of type 2 diabetes; screen for complications and adhere to treatment to improve the quality of life and prolong the lifespan of people living with diabetes. In addition, experts also call on people and those living with diabetes to proactively equip them with knowledge to protect their health today and tomorrow.

The activity is under the framework of the "Diabetes Care for Children and Adolescents in Việt Nam" - Changing Diabetes in Children Initiative (CDiC) programme for the period 2023 - 2025. CDiC is a public-private partnership programme initiated by Novo Nordisk with the participation of global partners such as the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and Roche.

Speaking at the event, Novo Nordisk Vietnam General Manager Erik Wiebols praised the efforts of the Vietnamese health sector in improving the quality of prevention and care of non-communicable diseases, including diabetes.

“The health ministry is very dedicated to educational programmes to raise people's awareness, proactively updates prevention and treatment guidelines and effectively organises training courses to improve disease diagnosis and treatment capacity for medical staff at all levels,” said Wiebols.

Novo Nordisk Vietnam General Manager Erik Wiebols speaks at the meeting. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

He said that the health sector should continue the policy to enhance the quality of care in lower level establishments. Therefore, people with diabetes can have access to quality health care services and treatment options at all healthcare levels.

“Over the past 100 years, Novo Nordisk has always strived to make insulin use as effective and convenient as possible. We are committed to helping society defeat diabetes, and our strategy is clear – accelerate the prevention of diabetes and obesity, and provide access to affordable care for vulnerable patients in every country,” said Wiebols.

Diabetes has become one of the common causes of disability and premature death in most countries. Every five seconds, one person dies from diabetes. Diabetes is also the cause of 6.7 million deaths in 2021, mainly through increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Early diagnosis and timely treatment of diabetic nephropathy can prevent blindness and reduce the consequences of diabetes for the patient, family and society. Screening for diabetes complications is an important part of effective disease management, to ensure optimal health for patients, according to IDF.

Also according to IDF in Việt Nam, there are nearly four million people living with diabetes (by 2021). Most of these are type 2 diabetes. But only one-third of people with diabetes are diagnosed, equivalent to more than 2.5 million people with undiagnosed and undetected diabetes.

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the WHO in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.

The World Diabetes Day 2023 campaign is held worldwide with the theme "Access to diabetes care" and the specific message Know Your Risk, Know Your Response focuses on the importance of knowing the risks of diabetes to help prevent and delay disease progression, while also highlighting the impact of diabetes-related complications as well as the importance of access to the right information and care to ensure timely treatment and management of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, towards improving quality of life of people living with the disease. — VNS