Access to care
Laying the basis for gradually improving access to diabetes care
Health systems in the developing world are often under-resourced and have traditionally responded to acute care, leaving them inadequate to the task of managing chronic diseases such as diabetes.
WDF partnerships address these inadequacies and utilise opportunities to integrate and add diabetes and NCD prevention and treatment into existing services and programmes.
Access to care projects often include
• Capacity building and integration of diabetes care into primary healthcare services
• Training of doctors, nurses, midwives and other healthcare providers
• Mobilisation of community health workers
• Education of patients and families in self-management and care
• Establishment or strengthening of clinics, including mobile clinics
• Implementation of guidelines and protocols
• Use of health information systems, registers, e-health and m-health
• Establishment of referral systems
• Support from patient associations and health authorities
• Sensitisation of key opinion leaders, media and press
• Strengthening of distribution and supply chains