Taking Action in Philippines

As the founder of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), Novo Nordisk A/S and its employees share our mission. Over the past five years Novo Nordisk employees have contributed about USD 1 million through fundraising activities.

The funds have been raised through individual employee donations, fundraising efforts by Novo Nordisk managers and through the “Take Action” programme. This is a volunteer programme under which employees take on initiatives or donate a monthly amount from their pay check to support specific projects. The donations have facilitated more than 35 clinics in 16 countries and are currently supporting the care and training of poor children with diabetes in Tanzania, Bangladesh and Kenya.

In 2007 WDF, and Novo Nordisk A/S decided to initiate the Take Action volunteer trips where communication staff from Novo Nordisk and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Youth Ambassadors report from WDF-supported projects in India, Philippines, El Salvador and Bangladesh. The objective is to strengthen the communication about WDF projects, our mission, provide better understanding of the Foundations value chain and inspire the Youth Ambassadors to take action. In the following we have sought to share a real life experience from Ms. Sara Jensen who is an employee from Novo Nordisk Sweden, and her recent visit to the Philippines for your reading pleasure.

How will they manage?

Outside the container, it is crowded. It is early morning and people have already waited several hours to see the doctor and have their weekly blood glucose tests.

The Diabetes Resource Centre (DRC) was established in 2004 with funds from the WDF. The small clinic is now self-sustaining and houses everything needed for treating around 500 people with diabetes in the Iloilo region, Visaya, Philippines. As Martin, my fellow IDF Take Action reporter, and I arrive at the clinic, Dr. Pasaporte is making a diabetes presentation for some 70 people outside the DRC. I try to blend in – but I feel like Alice in Wonderland, I am blond, and at least a head taller than everybody else. People stare and I stare back – all these women. Where are the men?

And everybody is holding on tightly to a bright red WDF bag. What is that about? We soon get the explanation. The bags and the T-shirts are part of the membership package. Memberships are voluntary, for an annual fee of 350 Philippines pesos (5 Euro) patients get 30-50 % discount on medicines and blood glucose testing. The discounts make a big difference to the patients - without them, many would not be able to afford their insulin and would not be able to test their blood sugar regularly as only 10 % of the people with diabetes in the Philippines have glucometers. How do they manage- Martin, who has diabetes, has already tested his blood sugar six times today! There are tricks. One is the urine ant trick. If there are ants in the urine bucket in the morning- then the blood sugar level is high.

Now about the women - in the Philippines, the women normally stay at home while their husbands work. I guess that is the reason why there are so few men at the clinic, how could they afford spending a day at the clinic? God only knows how they manage their diabetes.

Another eye operation needed

One man who has turned up at the clinic is Mr. Henry Mujco. He sits in the hot midday sun waiting patiently, holding on to a card with the number 57 on it. I ask him how he feels and he says that he feels okay. Still, his card states that his blood sugar is very high. Mr. Mujco didn’t take his insulin today. He has had diabetes for five years and regularly runs out of insulin. Both his parents work extra to pay for his medication. Mr Mujco has five children and no job.

“I am worried about complications”, he says. He needs another cataract operation. If Mr. Mujco had an average Philippine salary, he would have to work 50 days to pay for his eye operation. But Mr. Mujco has no job. How will he manage?

The World Health Organization estimates that the Philippines is among the top 10 countries in the world in terms of prevalence of diabetes. The country has one of the lowest insulin consumptions in the world with an estimated consumption of six units per capita. In my home country, Sweden, we use about 260 units per capita.

Feeling dizzy

I tell 74-year-old Mrs. Beatrey Magbarka that I work for the company who produces the insulin she takes. “Oh, can you please help me?” she asks and looks me deeply in the eyes, “please please. It breaks my heart. Her pension is 1,200 pesos/ month (18 Euro) and this doesn’t cover her medication. Sometimes, when she doesn’t take her insulin, she feels dizzy and stays home and eats only a little white rice with water.

Sarah and Mrs Beatrey at the clinic in lloilo, Philippines.

Martin says he knows how bad he feels when missing just one single injection.
“If I was to compound this feeling by missing several doses of insulin, I would feel totally horrid, if not being almost comatose”, he explains.

While some of our experiences during our week in the Philippines are quite tough, this is one of my greatest experiences in my 10 years with Novo Nordisk. It makes me proud to work for a company that makes such an impact on the developing world. I realise that without the WDF, many of the wonderful people I met would be without hope.

Read more about the project