Availability and Accessibility of Diabetes-Related Technologies in IDF-MENA Region

Abstract

Diabetes is a global epidemic and public health emergency, which leads to long-term health problems, cardiovascular diseases, diabetic retinopathy, stroke, blindness, dementia, limb loss, cd cancers across the globe. Diabetes not only leads to chronic complications but also compromises the quality of life. Diabetes-related deaths totaled 6.7 million in 2021, with health expenditure reaching USD 966 billion. Diabetes technologies are new novel modalities for the management of diabetes to create ease in the life of people living with diabetes, improve glycemic control and increase life expectancies. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region consists of countries that are diverse not only in terms of culture, norms, practices, and financial and socioeconomic status. The high-income countries in this region have better access to new technologies such as insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, and integrated self-management applications. Some of these modalities have government support systems, reimbursement, and subsidy policies for people with diabetes (PWD). In contrast, PWD from low- and middle-income countries still find it difficult to access diabetes-related innovations due to lack of awareness, high out-of-pocket costs, lack of trained healthcare providers, weak healthcare infrastructure, absence of reimbursement health policies, universal coverage and lack of health insurance. Diabetes care management in the MENA Region is still deprived of modern diabetes care technologies.