Address these concerns now… Ensuring access to diabetes treatment is a costly, complex and resource-consuming challenge. It is also only one element in high-quality comprehensive diabetes care. This study does not underestimate the difficult tasks involved for governments and other stakeholders. It aims to identify bottlenecks and inequalities, while offering a regional perspective that might inspire effective novel solutions based on the experiences of different countries. People with diabetes rely on continuous access to medicines and devices to manage their life-long condition. This requires sufficient investment to ensure sustainable and uninterrupted access to diabetes medicines and devices.
Access to diabetes medicines and devices
Access depends on the provision of all products required to respond to the population’s health needs, wherever and whenever these are needed. Supplies must be delivered in the appropriate format and following the correct protocols – and at prices that do not cause financial hardship to individuals or place a strain on society.
… Or face the consequences of inaction The cost of ensuring access to diabetes medicines and devices is a small price to pay compared to the human and financial burden of poorly controlled diabetes and its complications. For most countries, the largest single element of diabetes expenditure is hospital admissions for the treatment of long-term complications, such as heart disease and stroke, kidney failure and foot problems. Many of these are preventable with a timely diagnosis of diabetes, effective patient and professional education, and comprehensive, multidisciplinary long-term care. A rise in diabetes-related complications, as currently projected, will place a severe strain on national health systems throughout Europe. These countries currently spend on average an estimated 10% of their budget on diabetes care. In some of them, this figure is as high as 20%. The social and indirect costs – such as the loss of productivity due to illness – of diabetes-related complications may be even greater than their direct cost to health systems. It is imperative that access to diabetes care be seen as an investment to promote a healthier and more productive society, and as a contributor to long-term economic growth.
About IDF Europe IDF Europe is the European Region of the International Diabetes Federation. We are an umbrella organisation uniting 66 diabetes associations in 47 countries. We represent people with diabetes and their families, as well as health professionals working in diabetes. Through our work, we aim to influence policy, increase public awareness and encourage health improvement, promote the exchange of best practice and highquality information about diabetes in all countries throughout the Region. For more information visit www.idf-europe.org or contact us at idfeurope@idf-europe.org
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