Treatment in a box

In December 2004 a container was transformed into a modern diabetes clinic and donated to the district of Iloilo in the Philippines.

The container was donated by Maersk Sealand, while other partners donated clinical equipment, training and financial support.

The exclusive agreement with Maersk Sealand, resulting in the donation of a container, was part of a multi-sectored partnering programme initiated by WDF with the purpose of ensuring access to and improvement of quality diabetes care in the Philippines. The partners also included the local affiliates of Novo Nordisk and of Johnson & Johnson. A financial contribution was also made by Nestlé.

“Diabetes constitutes a continuous threat to global health, and having people join forces across industries to the benefit of people with diabetes is something we will hopefully be able to replicate in other countries,” says Leif Fenger Jensen, Managing Director of WDF.

More container clinics to come thanks to donations

The clinic in Iloilo is intended to serve as a learning model for establishing additional clinics throughout the Philippines. And this is an ambition that is fully supported by Maersk Sealand, which has already expressed an interest in donating further containers.
The donation is seen as a reinforcement of the company’s social responsibility in local markets.

“Maersk-Filipinas has been wanting to get involved in a long-term local community project for quite some time. And with partners such as Novo Nordisk, the World Diabetes Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, this project represented a great opportunity,” concludes Atty. Romulo.

Tackling the root of the problem

The problem with diabetes in the Philippines is proper diagnosis. In many cases, the disease is not detected in time and the patient goes without proper treatment. With very few specialists around, referral to the right health practitioners and subsequent treatment is extremely difficult and, as such, the main reason for the widespread prevalence of secondary complications.

“Our hope is that the container-turned-clinic will significantly increase the capacity and enhance the quality of diabetes treatment in this area by tackling the root of the problem. We believe that by providing diagnosis and treatment in the short term and education and prevention in the long term, we will achieve our goals,” says Atty. Romulo, board member of Maersk-Filipinas and consul general in the Philippines.

Part of a greater plan

The clinic forms part of the WDF-supported A LEAD project aligned with the National Diabetes Prevention and Control Plan initiated by the Philippine government. A LEAD is an acronym for Advocacy, Leadership in education and Empowerment, and Access to Diabetes care.

The project covers a multi-sectored team comprising the Center for Health Development (a subsection of the Philippine Department of Health), Iloilo Provincial Government, the Philippine Diabetes Association, WHO Western Pacific Region, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Philippines, Maersk-Filipinas and Johnson & Johnson Medical Philippines.