KENYA —Dawa Life Sciences hosted a free health clinic for screening diabetes and hypertension in Baba Dogo, Nairobi County to commemorate World Diabetes Day 2022.
World Diabetes Day is commemorated annually to provide an opportunity to raise awareness on diabetes as a global health issue.
This year’s theme, “Access to Diabetes Care; If Not Now, When?” is informed by the fact that more than 537 million people living with diabetes globally require ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications.
The day, which is commemorated globally also draws attention to the critical figures from the International Diabetes Federation, which shows that 821, 500 people currently have diabetes in Kenya.
This figure is bound to rise at an alarming rate primarily due to changes in lifestyle leading to increased consumption of unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and subsequently obesity.
According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the known risk factors for diabetes include aging, ethnicity, family history of diabetes, previous gestational diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of diabetes in Kenya is at 3.3% and this is expected to rise to 4.5% by 2025. However, two-thirds of diabetics may be undiagnosed.
Speaking during World Diabetes Day 2022, Acting Director of Preventive and Promotive Services Dr. Andrew Mulwa said diabetes is a serious threat to the attainment of our country’s health and economic aspirations, with more than 87 percent of Kenyans not knowing the status of their blood sugar.
The rise in diabetes prevalence will significantly impact mortality and GDP due to productivity loss and increased healthcare expenditure.
Besides causing significant socioeconomic costs, diabetes also triggers cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in patients living with diabetes.
The starting point for diabetes care is early detection. The disease is one of the leading causes of renal failure, lower limb amputation, and blindness.
These complications if undetected and untreated are often deadly and cause huge human suffering and disability.
The overall prevalence of diabetes in Kenya is consistent with that reported in other Sub-Saharan African countries.
The higher prevalence of pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes, which can progress to complications in the absence of interventions, as well as the low diabetes awareness and control, are cause for concern.
Management of diabetes in Kenya
In order to access quality diabetes prevention, screening, diagnosis, and care, the Ministry of Health has established diabetes clinics in all the county hospitals in Kenya, with 6 centers of excellence.
These centers of excellence are found at Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Nakuru PGH, Machakos County Referral Hospital, Coast Provincial General Hospital, and Kakamega County Referral Hospital.
The Ministry of Health has also developed guidelines and manuals such as the National Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Diabetes Mellitus – 2nd edition of 2018, Competency-Based Training Curriculum on Diabetes Mellitus for health care providers, and Peer Educator’s Manual.
The curriculum has been used to set up satellite centers in more than 30 facilities across 20 counties where children can go for diagnosis and treatment.
Further, the Ministry of Health in partnership with Kenya Diabetes Management and Information Center, Novo Nordisk, and Roche Diabetes in a program dubbed, Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) has put in place provision of insulin and other supplies at no cost to all children and adolescents living with diabetes in Kenya.
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