ISLAMABAD: Around 100,000 children in Pakistan are estimated to have type 1 diabetes but are not diagnosed timely due to lack of awareness among parents and physicians, senior endocrinologists and health experts said on Saturday.

They were speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club (NPC) on Saturday.

The speakers said children with type 1 diabetes needed insulin for the rest of their lives to lead a normal and healthy life.

Experts mentioned that sudden weight loss, frequent urination, extreme hunger and mood changes in children were some of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes.

If such symptoms appear, parents should take their children to trained and qualified physicians and insist on checking their sugar levels, they added.

Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) Diabetologist and Project Lead Prof Abdul Basit, said: “Of the 100,000 children having type 1 diabetes in Pakistan, many are not diagnosed timely, and they die within a few days of the onset of the disease. If parents are aware of symptoms and the children are treated by trained and qualified physicians, their lives can be saved by giving them insulin for the rest of their lives.”

Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan Jakob Linulf, CDiC Manager Irum Ghafoor, Novo Nordisk Pakistan General Manager Rashid Rafique Butt, and Head of Roche Diabetes Care Pakistan Sohail Malik accompanied Prof Basit.

Mr Basit said they launched the CDiC project in Pakistan two years ago so that not a single child should die due to the unavailability of insulin.

“The Health Promotion Foundation has been providing free insulin to over 1,500 children living with Type 1 diabetes for the past two years. Our goal is to reach out to 3,000 children throughout the country whose parents cannot afford insulin so they can live a normal and happy life,” Prof Basit said.

Mr Jakob Linulf deplored that hundreds of children were ‘dying unnecessarily’ in Pakistan as their parents were unaware that their children had type 1 diabetes and they were not getting insulin.

“There is a need to inform parents that early diagnosis can save the lives of hundreds of children in Pakistan. Besides, physicians and doctors should be trained regarding proper diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes and putting them on insulin as per guidelines,” the ambassador said.

He added, “The CDiC programme aligns with the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) mission to promote diabetes care and prevention worldwide.”

Ms Ghafoor stated they have 16 CDiC centres in different regions covering all provinces, including Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), and the federal capital.

“Through these centres, we have enrolled 1544 children across Pakistan by the end of 2023. Children living with diabetes who visit these centres have access to free insulin and blood glucose monitoring equipment for better diabetes control,” she mentioned.

Novo Nordisk Pakistan general manager articulated that Novo Nordisk was striving to defeat serious chronic diseases such as diabetes, and they were aware that it took more than medicine to defeat diabetes, which was why they were building partnerships.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2024