WHO: Diabetic patients are rising globally, while 30 million don’t have access to insulin

The World Health Organization – WHO on Friday outlined that diabetic patients are mounting globally, while already tens of thousands do not have access to the insulin which is required.  

The international organization noted that worldwide, more than 420 million people are diabetic patients, and these numbers would rise ‘past half a billion’ by the end of this decade. The price of the insulin needed by the diabetic patient is very high, which makes it difficult for the 30 million of the world’s population to have its access. 

Following the statement, WHO asserted that there’s a high need to cut off the price of insulin so that it can be available to every diabetic patient, adding that the UN health agency is working with countries and manufacturers so as to “expand access to this life-saving medicine for everyone who needs it”.  

Earlier this year, WHO held talks with insulin manufacturers and others about different ways to meet the growing demand – “at prices that countries can afford”, to which it said on Friday that the industry had made some commitments, which also includes participating in a prequalification programme. 

Types of Diabetes –  

Diabetes is divided into two types. Type 1 diabetes is a – chronic condition where the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels). Around nine million people in the world are suffering from type 1 diabetes. 

While diabetes type 2 is linked with obesity and other lifestyle factors and emerges in adults and frequently among children. The majority of the world’s population has type 2 diabetes. Around 63 million people with type 2 meanwhile also need the hormone, according to WHO estimates, but only about half of them can obtain it.

The report shows that diabetes is mainly found in developing countries, which are accountable for 80 percent of cases, and insulin consumption in those nations is lingering due to a range of barriers.