WDF Diabetes Summit in Hanoi 2006

A recent summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, drew attention to the rising prevalence of diabetes in the developing world and worked to develop strategies to reduce the socio-economic burden the disease poses. The summit focused on Asia, which is home to four of the world’s five largest diabetic populations. It was the first of a series of global initiatives bringing together international experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Ministry of Health Vietnam and national health authorities and academics. The summit, which took place 21–23 February, was hosted by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), the Ministry of Health in Vietnam and the Western Pacific Declaration on Diabetes, which includes the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), IDF and WHO. Many prominent guests were present at the opening ceremony which included the Minister of Health Vietnam, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, Asian Development Bank, Regional WHO NCD advisors, the WHO Representative in Vietnam and WDF project partners. “We see the summit as a forum for interaction between the key diabetes stakeholders and WDF partners, aimed at creating a network of committed global influencers who can drive the agenda on diabetes prevention and care in the developing world. The ultimate aim is to encourage government’s worldwide, policy-makers and funding bodies to prioritise diabetes care, allowing the implementation of much-needed sustainable and far-reaching solutions,” explains Professor Pierre Lefèbvre, president of the IDF and chairman of the Board of Directors of the WDF. Pilots for a nationwide programme The summit was launched with a press briefing, followed by a field visit accompanied by the WDF Board of Directors and international media participants to one of the WDF-funded community-based pilot project sites, which the Vietnamese Ministry of Health plans to roll out nationally in 2006. The projects which involve 35 districts, 40 local centres and a population of around 1 million people, have been selected to test the programme ahead of the nationwide roll-out. A patient with diabetes at the WDF funded clinic in the Than Hoa province, VietNam The project places a strong emphasis on prevention strategies and sustainable solutions to diabetes care, demonstrating the benefits of integrating support from multiple stakeholders on national and international levels. Based on the success of these projects, the WDF hopes to implement similar projects in developing countries around the world. In many developing countries, public health advocacy to date has been mainly devoted to infectious diseases. However, there are now major public health issues arising from chronic diseases that need to be addressed with equal energy and focus. “We are delighted to see the success of these initial community-based projects in Vietnam and believe they demonstrate the huge success  that can be achieved by taking a community-based approach to diabetes prevention and care, and pooling the resources, skills and expertise of both national and international partners,” said Prof Tran Thi Trung Chien, Minister of Health, Viet Nam. Creating awareness and prevention at all levels The importance of a preventive approach is crucial in the developing world, in order to avoid the huge social and economic impact of the predicted diabetes pandemic. The need is particularly strong in societies undergoing rapid economic transition, such as India, China and Vietnam. In the Western Pacific region, where over 60% of the world’s diabetic population resides, the largest rise in diabetes incidence is likely to occur in economically-productive age groups (20 – 64 years of age). If predictions of diabetes prevalence for 2025 are correct, total healthcare expenditure on diabetes worldwide for that year will be between $213 billion and $396 billion (USD). In some developing countries this will be as much as 40% of their total healthcare budget. “Diabetes is one of the most significant public health challenges of this century. We consider this WDF Diabetes Summit as a very successful event with the participation of 100 participants, experts, projects partners and key stakeholders in the field of diabetes from all over the world. With this series of global initiatives we hope to make a significant change in creating awareness, prevention at all levels and improvement of care for people with diabetes. By supporting 65 projects in more than 60 countries in the developing world the Foundation has to date made a direct impact on 25 million people”, explains Dr Anil Kapur, Managing Director WDF. Twenty-five media participants representing China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, UK, Germany and France also attended the summit and the field visit. The WHO estimates the global diabetes population will grow to more than 330 million in 2025, with developing countries bearing the brunt of the epidemic in the 21st century.
Read the report (pdf) from the Diabetes Summit in Hanoi