Developing countries

President's Editorial

The Philippines, with a population of 76.5 million, is considered a developing country. Health services are provided by the state through health centres, local clinics and hospitals, as well as private-sector health facilities. While WHO recommends that countries should spend at least 5% of their GNP for health, the Philippines health budget is only around 3.4% of the country’s GNP (264 million USD) – compared with the military’s budget of 566 million USD.

The IDF Education Foundation was established in 1992 during the IDF Presidency of Wendell Mayes Jr. The Foundation is a practical benevolent initiative which, since its inception, has functioned exclusively in support of people with diabetes in developing regions. These countries constitute the bulk of the IDF membership; 60% of Member Associations are in countries with an annual GDP of less than 3500 USD per capita.

The human population of our planet is aging. According to UN projections, by the middle of this century, the number of elderly people in the world will exceed the number of young people – for the first time in history. This trend started during the last half of the 20th century. Yet policy-makers are only now becoming aware of the gravity of the implications for developing countries of the rapid pace at which our populations are ageing.

The move towards non-medical prescribing is a process that has evolved over the past 20 years. But some diabetes healthcare professionals continue to question its benefits. In this article, June James looks at the challenges surrounding non-medical prescribing and describes the training required for effective prescribing. The author focuses mainly on work undertaken in the UK but also explores non-medical prescribing in other countries, and the potential impact this might have on diabetes care worldwide.

When I met Sonia Carrasco, 14 years ago, she was suffering from diabetes ketoacidosis – extremely high glucose levels, a sign of poorly controlled diabetes. Although she had been living with the condition for about 6 years, her diabetes knowledge was minimal, reflecting a general lack of health awareness. When I asked Sonia to describe her feelings the day she was given a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, 20 years before, she recalls an experience made all the more terrifying by an acute fear of the unknown. She had understood that she had leukaemia.

My daughter Jacklyin was born in January 1990, three months premature. Her early birth gave her unusual status among her family and the rest of the community in our village, Gumine – in the Province of Chimbu, in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. She would always be given our special protection and ate the best of all children in the village.

Nigeria, with a population of about 128 million people, is Africa’s most populous country. Life expectancy at birth is 47 years; about 60% of the population live below the poverty line. While healthcare structures and institutions are inadequate, and there is a chronic lack of skilled healthcare personnel, diabetes is on the increase. Uncontrolled urbanization is the driving force behind rising obesity levels and a subsequent boom in levels of type 2 diabetes.

Editorial

President's Editorial