{"id":36924,"date":"2019-12-09T19:42:40","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T18:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=36924"},"modified":"2019-12-09T19:42:40","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T18:42:40","slug":"who-to-provide-insulin-in-nigeria-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/who-to-provide-insulin-in-nigeria-others\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO To Provide Insulin In Nigeria, Others"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bayo Akinloye<\/p>\n

Last November, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the start\u00a0of a pilot programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment\u00a0for diabetes in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. This is\u00a0important to forestall a looming medical disaster.<\/p>\n

According to eMediHealth (a resource of expert-reviewed health\u00a0information drawn from the knowledge and experience of several\u00a0practising and certified health experts, providing a broad range of\u00a0maladies), diabetes mellitus is one of the prime causes of morbidity\u00a0and mortality among millions of people across the globe.<\/p>\n

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) says that $9.5 billion was spent on healthcare for people with diabetes in 2019\u2014less than 1 per cent of the total global expenditure on diabetes.<\/p>\n

Writing on\u00a0eMediHealth<\/a>, Dr. Amy Freeth described\u00a0diabetes mellitus as\u00a0one of the prime causes of morbidity and mortality among millions of\u00a0people across the globe, notes that while there is no definitive cure\u00a0for diabetes, with one’s blood sugar levels under control, living a\u00a0normal and healthy life is achievable.<\/p>\n

Freeth provided various natural ways that can be incorporated into\u00a0one’s daily life that may help control one’s blood sugar to an optimum\u00a0level.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the WHO’s decision, announced ahead of World Diabetes Day\u00a0on November 14, is part of a series of steps the organization will\u00a0take to address the growing diabetes burden in all regions. About 65
\nmillion people with type 2 diabetes need insulin, but only half of\u00a0them are able to access it, largely due to high prices.\u00a0 All people\u00a0with type 1 diabetes need insulin to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiabetes is on the rise globally, and rising faster in low-income\u00a0countries,\u201d says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many people who need insulin encounter financial hardship in\u00a0accessing it, or go without it and risk their lives. WHO\u2019s\u00a0prequalification initiative for insulin is a vital step towards\u00a0ensuring everyone who needs this life-saving product can access it.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHO prequalification of insulin is expected to boost access by\u00a0increasing the flow of quality-assured products on the international\u00a0market, providing countries with greater choice and patients with
\nlower prices. Insulin was discovered as a treatment for diabetes\u00a0almost 100 years ago and has been on WHO\u2019s List of Essential Medicines\u00a0since it was published in 1977. Despite an ample supply, insulin
\nprices are currently a barrier to treatment in most low- and\u00a0middle-income countries. Three manufacturers control most of the\u00a0global market for insulin, setting prices that are prohibitive for\u00a0many people and countries.<\/p>

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Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Access to insulin is a challenge in Nigeria and many other countries. Data collected by WHO between 2016 and 2019 from 24 countries on four continents showed that human insulin was available only in 61 per\u00a0 cent of
\nhealth facilities and analogue insulins in 13 per cent. The data showed that a month\u2019s supply of insulin would cost a worker in Ghana, the equivalent of 5.5 days of pay per month, or 22 per\u00a0 cent of his earnings.<\/p>\n

In wealthy countries, people often have to ration insulin, which can\u00a0be deadly for people who do not get the right quantity of the\u00a0medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrequalifying products from additional companies will hopefully help\u00a0to level the playing field and ensure a steadier supply of quality\u00a0insulin in all countries,\u201d says Dr. Mari\u00e2ngela Sim\u00e3o, Assistant\u00a0Director General for Medicines and Health products.<\/p>\n

More than 420 million people live with diabetes. Diabetes is the\u00a0seventh leading cause of death and a major cause of costly and\u00a0debilitating complications such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney\u00a0failure, blindness, and lower-limb amputations.<\/p>\n

People with type 1 diabetes need insulin for survival and to maintain\u00a0their blood glucose at levels to reduce the risk of common\u00a0complications such as blindness and kidney failure. People with type 2\u00a0diabetes need insulin for controlling blood glucose levels to avoid\u00a0complications when oral medicines become less effective as the illness\u00a0progresses.<\/p>\n

Insulin prequalification is one of a number of steps WHO will take in\u00a0the coming year to address the diabetes burden. Plans are underway to\u00a0update diabetes treatment guidelines, devise price reduction
\nstrategies for analogues and improve delivery systems and access to\u00a0diagnostics.<\/p>\n

WHO also works with countries to promote healthier diets\u00a0and physical activity to lower people\u2019s risk of developing type 2
\ndiabetes.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2013, there were 382 million (or 8.3 per cent of the adult world population) people worldwide with diabetes of which 80 per\u00a0 cent live in low-and-middle-income countries. This number is estimated to reach 592
\nmillion by 2035. Currently, sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have 20 million people with diabetes, about 62 per\u00a0 cent are not diagnosed and the number is expected to reach 41.4 million by 2035 or an increase of
\n109.1 per cent. In sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is said to have the highest number of people with diabetes with an estimated 3.9 million people.<\/p>\n

People with diabetes are at increased risk of developing\u00a0cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is a major cause of death and\u00a0disability in people with diabetes, and a barrier to sustainable\u00a0development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Bayo Akinloye Last November, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the start\u00a0of a pilot programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment\u00a0for diabetes in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria. This is\u00a0important to forestall a looming medical disaster. According to eMediHealth (a resource of expert-reviewed health\u00a0information drawn from the knowledge and experience of several\u00a0practising …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":36251,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174,17],"tags":[873,6542,6541,823],"coauthors":[2387],"class_list":["post-36924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-health","category-news","tag-diabetes","tag-emedihealth","tag-insulin","tag-who"],"yoast_head":"\nWHO To Provide Insulin In Nigeria, Others - National Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last November, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the start\u00a0of a pilot programme to prequalify human insulin to increase treatment\u00a0for diabetes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/who-to-provide-insulin-in-nigeria-others\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHO To Provide Insulin In Nigeria, Others - 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