Emergency insulin for people with diabetes in D.R. Congo

Even if it seems irrational, the World Diabetes Foundation has good reasons for not supplying insulin to people with diabetes in the developing world. But sometimes you need to make an exception.

Insulin availability is often a key issue in the problem areas in which the World Diabetes Foundation supports projects; nevertheless WDF has decided not to supply insulin directly. To live up to its goal of providing sustainable solutions, it is more reasonable to support local initiatives that can provide insulin for those in need.

However in 2003 the Belgian Interuniversity Counsel “VLIR” cried out for help in a project application, on behalf of the diabetes population in D.R. Congo. An emergency situation of lack of insulin availability in Kinshasa, which was largely due to the preceding period of socio-political unrest in the country needed to be addressed.

A well functioning network empowers diabetes treatment in Congo

VLIR started to collaborate with the University Hospital, UNIKIN, in Kinshasa in the mid-nineties. Because of a good network the teaching programs soon covered all of Kinshasa.
Professor Erik Müls from the department of Endocrinology in Leuven, Belgium: “In 2003 insulin availability was poor because of the war situation. The diabetes network was still in place, so it was critical to make insulin available”.
From 2003-2005 a support of 100,000 EURO was granted by the World Diabetes Foundation to address the emergency situation and support the purchase of insulin and oral medication.

Diabetes clinic in Mont Amba, D.R. Congo

VLIR has been present in Congo for 10 years and is running several projects regarding training in diabetes. The current VLIR projects are planned to run until 2009. The projects run by VLIR cover a variety of aspects of diabetes and its complications, but the projects are mainly focused on the clinical aspects such as training of health care providers, leaving the patients in a gap if insulin is out of reach. Therefore; “the help from WDF has been critical for creating a positive atmosphere in the projects”, Dr. Erik Müls says.
In addition the success of the WDF and VLIR projects has encouraged the development of a National Diabetes Plan of the Congolese government.

The providing of insulin had a multiplying effect

In the spring 2005 the project was completed and the objective, providing insulin, was fully met.
Insulin for emergency use is now immediately available in participating network centres. Approximately 15% of people with diabetes now receive insulin free of charge; others have access to insulin at affordable subsidised prices.

The simple addition of insulin has made it possible for several important projects to succeed, and has even drawn attention to diabetes care on a governmental level. For the World Diabetes Foundation is essential to obtain these kinds of effects.

WDF strives to build long-term solutions

Still, it is important for the World Diabetes Foundation to create sustainable solutions, which is not the case when providing insulin to a developing country. One solution is to use the revenues of the sales of the subsided insulin in a revolving fund, a model used with great success in other projects supported countries such as Tanzania.
VLIR has used the revenues to buy other essential material such as strips for glucometers, but is now working on a plan to use the model of a revolving fund in D.R. Congo.