Pakistan’s problem with diabetes – with 7 million diabetics

pharmafile | March 20, 2017 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing |  Pakistan, Sanofi, diabetes 

Pakistan is facing an increasing problem with people suffering from diabetes. At a recent conference, the 4^th International Diabetes Conference, it was revealed that approximately 7 million people are now diabetic.

The worrying problem is that, of those 7 million, 1.6 million were children and this points towards a problem that could grow, as the generational issues develop as it ages, if changes are not made to improve the health of the population. Speakers at the conference predicted that by 2040, Pakistan is projected to have 14.4 million diabetics and will likely rise to 8^th position, in countries that have the highest proportion of people with the condition.

The 7 million estimated diabetics occur in a population of an approximate total of 195 million people. Speakers at the conference pushed for more screenings for those who are at a higher risk of suffering from diabetes.

The advice from experts was to follow the International Diabetes Federation slogan of Eat less, walk more”. With one expert claiming that if a person walks 10,000 steps per day, from age 22 onwards, he will never get chronic disease. Though the latter part of the claim may be dubious, it would certainly help improve overall health.

The conference was sponsored by Sanofi and included numerous speakers from the company. Sanofi is a major producer of diabetes medication and extending its influence into Pakistan, as the US market becomes increasingly competitive, is a way of hedging its market losses. Sanofi is currently the 5^th largest company in Pakistan.

Ben Hargreaves