WHO Sri Lanka, through WHO Headquarters and WHO South-East Asia Region offices, donated 18,000 vials of insulin and 100 glucagon hypokits to the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka.
The donation is a part of the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) for COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. A vital component of the SPRP is sustaining the delivery of essential services, including more equitable access to health products. The donation symbolizes WHO’s commitment to sustainably ensuring the supply of critical medicines to manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs) during the COVID-19 response.
The donation is timely, as 14 November 2020 was World Diabetes Day. Globally, more than 420 million adults live with diabetes, of which more than 96 million are in the WHO South-East Asia Region. NCDs – diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers – are a major health concern worldwide. In Sri Lanka, 83% of deaths are due to NCDs, and 10% are attributed to diabetes. About 8% of Sri Lankan adults are living with diabetes, and the burden of NCDs is expected to rise in the coming decades.
Undiagnosed or poorly managed diabetes can result in avoidable blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation, causing long-standing medical and non-medical costs for patients, caregivers, families, and communities. We mark this year’s World Diabetes Day as WHO and its Member States continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. People with diabetes are at increased risk of severe disease if they have COVID-19. Like all people, they must continue to diligently observe public health and social measures such as physical distancing, handwashing, and mask use.
WHO Country Office will continue to support Sri Lanka to strengthen health systems to prevent, diagnose, and manage diabetes, focusing on increasing access to medicines and empowering primary health workers and nurses – the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day. 49% of all countries surveyed globally experienced disruptions in diabetes services due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Sri Lanka has maintained diabetes and other NCD and essential services throughout the pandemic. However, to advance progress on the Region’s Flagship Priorities and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target of a one-third reduction in premature mortality from NCDs by 2030, Sri Lanka must sustain, accelerate, and innovate in expanding health services, especially to vulnerable groups.
