Danish Embassy, Novo Nordisk hold diabetes experts forum - Launch Hi FlexPen
In 2015, an estimated 266,000 adults aged between 20 and 79 had diabetes. Nearly 4,790 adults were estimated to have died from diabetes-related diseases during the year, averaging over 13 deaths every day.
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Meanwhile, about GH¢188m was spent treating diabetes in 2015.
The amount is expected to see an increase of 102 per cent by 2040.
Diabetes is said to be a leading cause of global mortality, with 5.0 million people dying from it in 2015.
While 1.5 million people died from HIV/AIDS in 2013, 1.5 million people also died from tuberculosis in 2013 and 0.6 million people died from malaria in the same year.
The Danish Embassy in Accra, in conjunction with Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company with more than 90 years of innovation and leadership in diabetes care, insulin manufacturing and injection devices, last week organised a symposium. Known as the Ghana Premix Symposium, it brought together experts on diabetes to discuss the current global situation of diabetes in general within the sub-region and Ghana in particular, as well as the challenges it posed.
The experts also educated the gathering on how to manage diabetes, as well as the medications available.
The occasion was also used to launch Novo Nordisk’s Human Insulin (Hi) FlexPen, which is one of the world’s most widely used pre-filled insulin pen.
This heritage has given us experience and capabilities that also enable us to help people defeat other serious chronic conditions such as haemophilia, growth disorders and obesity.
Speaking on Novo Nordisk and its initiatives in Africa, its Vice-President responsible for Africa and the Gulf Business Area, Mr Mads Bo Larsen, observed that sub-Saharan Africa had the highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes, with two-thirds (66 per cent of the people with diabetes) unaware that they have the disease.
He expressed worry that the disease followed the same trend in Ghana, just as it was in the rest of Africa, adding that the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimated that more than 266,000 adults in Ghana had diabetes, a figure which he noted represented about 2.3 per cent of the country’s adult population.
In addition, he said the Ghana Health Service states that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially diabetes and related complications, contributed significantly to illnesses and deaths in Ghana.
It is currently estimated that NCDs kill 38 million people each year, accounting for 63 per cent of deaths globally.
Mr Larsen stated, “The fact that 80 per cent of these deaths are occurring in developing countries with fragile systems will translate into an unprecedented economic burden for public health.”
He noted that about 540,000 adults in Ghana could also have diabetes by 2040, representing about 103 per cent increase, adding that one out of 10 adults in Ghana had pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Achievements
Touching on key achievements in Ghana, Mr Larsen said there were currently 429 healthcare professionals trained in diabetes care, 4,500 patients registered at diabetes support centres, 233 patients visiting the centres every month while 17,000 people attended free screening.
There are already six diabetes support centres and two are to be commissioned this year, he added.
Mr Larsen said it takes more than medicine to drive change and defeat diabetes, noting that they were working to develop scalable and sustainable solutions that increase access to diabetes care to support countries reaching Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The vice-president said Novo Nordisk offered a wide portfolio in Ghana, including human insulin vials, human insulin in penfill, modern insulins in FlexPen and human insulins in FlexPen.
Danish ambassador
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Madam Tove Degnbol, said non-communicable diseases required new interventions and new skills.
She noted that dealing with them in addition to the already heavy burden on the health system also required new ways of doing ‘business’.
Private sector participation, she noted, had become key in providing quality service in the health sector.
One such PPP, which the Embassy was facilitating, is the one between the Ghanaian health sector and Novo Nordisk, she noted.
She said Novo Nordisk was one of the most well-known and well-recognised companies in Denmark, stating that the company founded the World Diabetes Foundation to save the lives of those affected by diabetes in developing countries, and supported a United Nations (UN) resolution to fight diabetes.
Recognising the fact that there were several problems associated with managing diabetes in developing countries, she said Novo Nordisk in 2010 initiated the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Project.
The ambassador announced that six diabetes support centres had been set up in Ghana in collaboration with local hospitals and local health authorities. She said two more support centres were to be established this year.
She mentioned the six centres as the Ga South Municipal Hospital and Maamobi General Hospital both in the Greater Accra Region, Manhyia District Hospital in the Ashanti Region, Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital in the Western Region, Holy Family Hospital in the Eastern Region and Our Lady of Grace Hospital in the Central Region.
In addition, she said Novo Nordisk was promoting the Buddy Doctor Initiative (BDI), a professional coaching and mentorship of General Practitioners (GPs) which sought to change the strategic approach for improved glycaemic control in Type 2 Diabetes.
Dr Atiase
A Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Yacouba Atiase, spoke on Pre-Mix Insulin - Strategies for insulin initiation/intensification in type 2 diabetes, why, when and how.
She said anytime people ate, they secreted insulin.
The consultant mentioned that patients with type 2 diabetes required insulin treatment.
She said it was important that patients started insulin treatment early and not wait for when it was too late.
Dr Atiase mentioned that premix insulin was the way to go since it gave less injections in addition to providing other friendly properties.
She stressed the need for people to undertake exercises as they were important for our bodies.