Diabetes, a chronic disease caused by high glucose levels in the blood, consistently figures as one of the ten leading causes of death globally. The number of people with diabetes has doubled over the past 30 years, with over 800 million people worldwide now living with the condition, according to a new report by The Lancet. Like most non-communicable diseases, the prevalence of diabetes is particularly high in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Nepal, 8.5 percent of the population is affected by this disease, and alarmingly, the infection rate continues to rise. Worse, poor countries also have younger people suffering from it, but they lack effective treatment, and the disease often goes unnoticed. By all accounts, diabetes has emerged as a growing public health crisis, calling for urgent measures to combat it.

While the more developed countries have been able to reduce the number of diabetes patients over the years, the developing ones often fail to ensure even basic treatment facilities, which has prevented early detection and diagnosis of the disease. Even though diabetes is rooted in our poor lifestyle choices—lack of exercise, junk food, stressful work routines, and so on—the absence of easy access to treatment has exacerbated the problem. This has not only increased untreated patients in LMICs but also led to issues like kidney failure, loss of vision, stroke, heart attack, multi-organ failure, lower limb amputations, and, in the worst cases, premature death.

Diabetes and its growing threat in low- and middle-income countries should serve as a wake-up call for governments. Investing in public health is the best intervention for the disease. Still, rather than increasing the budget in the health sector, Nepal is setting aside a meagre percentage (4.6 percent) of the total budget, affecting several healthcare programmes. Even though the country increased investment in health by 2.5 percent this year after facing criticisms for cutting it in the previous fiscal year, the amount falls short of providing patients with basic treatment services for early detection and timely intervention of diseases. The health ministry and authorities concerned should rethink their policies without further delay.

The need for behavioural change on the part of the general public cannot be ignored either. Educated and young people living in urban areas have resources and tools that allow them to come to terms with the dangers of diabetes, go for regular health check-ups and opt for healthy lifestyles. Moreover, the government and healthcare workers should initiate awareness programmes, especially for the illiterate population. Hospitals in rural settings must be equipped with the necessary tools to diagnose and treat diabetes. Subsidised medications and insulin can alleviate the financial burden on patients. Policies encouraging healthy lifestyles and food could also go a long way in preventing it.

Mitigating the disease has global support. The World Health Organisation recently launched the ‘Guidance on global monitoring for diabetes prevention and control’ framework. Nepal and other low- and middle-income countries should tap into such opportunities to bring tangible results regarding diabetes. They should also emulate successful measures that developed countries have taken to curb the rise of the disease. Collaboration between countries can also facilitate the exchange of best practices among countries. Ultimately, the battle against diabetes requires a collective effort. Individuals, patients, policymakers and organisations should all come together and put in concerted efforts in breaking its chain and ushering in a healthier future for all.