Academic and GP calls for national diabetes co-ordinator

Belgium urgently needs to appoint a national diabetes co-ordinator, according to Johan Wens, GP and part-time lecturer at Antwerp University. His opinion was published last Friday, World Diabetes Day, in the medical professional magazine De Artsenkrant.

According to De Artsenkrant, diabetes is taking on epidemic proportions and now affects about 6% of the global population. In Belgium, it is estimated that there are about 600,000 people who have diabetes. However, people are not always aware they have the disorder and it is not always adequately treated. Apart from the morbidity and mortality dangers, the disorder also significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular diseases.

“There has just been a national Ebola co-ordinator appointed,” said Wens. “That is really valuable, as the international traffic has to take a number of measures, even if there is only a small chance that the epidemic will reach our country. However, for diabetes – a disorder that is clearly gaining ground and which takes a life somewhere in the world every two seconds – we are still waiting for a national co-ordinator.”

Wens points out that there is no register for type 2 diabetes, educators are still not involved when the diagnosis is made and there is no psychological assistance provided. “For a disorder of this scale which threatens global public health and weighs heavily on the healthcare budget, a national co-ordinator now would be more than welcome,” he said.

Photo: Ingimage