Lahore: Pakistan is facing a worsening diabetes crisis with around 34.5 million adults currently living with diabetes while more than 10 million others are at high risk of developing the disease, senior diabetologists warned on Monday, saying digital healthcare and technology driven initiatives were now essential to tackle the growing epidemic.
The concerns were raised during a diabetes awareness and patient engagement event organized under the “AWAZ” and “Discovering Diabetes” initiatives, where diabetologists, physicians, general practitioners, diabetes educators and patients discussed the rising burden of diabetes and the need for standardized technology based care across Pakistan.
Experts said Pakistan now had one of the highest diabetes prevalence rates in the world, with nearly one in every three adults affected by the disease. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the country’s adult diabetes prevalence stands at 31.4 percent while over 226,000 diabetes related deaths occur annually in Pakistan.
Renowned endocrinologist Dr Syed Abbas Raza said the disease had reached epidemic proportions in Pakistan and millions of people were developing serious complications due to delayed diagnosis, unhealthy lifestyles and poor disease control.
“Almost 27 percent diabetic patients in Pakistan remain undiagnosed and continue living with the disease unknowingly. By the time many patients are diagnosed, complications have already started,” he warned.
He said uncontrolled diabetes was leading to kidney failure, blindness, amputations, strokes and heart disease, adding that unhealthy eating habits, junk food consumption, obesity, physical inactivity and poor sleep were major contributors to the crisis.
Prof Abbas Raza said Pakistan was also facing a severe shortage of diabetes specialists.
“With over 34 million diabetic patients and a very limited number of endocrinologists and diabetologists available in major cities only, it is impossible for specialists alone to physically monitor and counsel every patient,” he said.
According to figures shared at the event, Pakistan has only around 43 to 53 endocrinology centers and nearly 123 diabetology specialist practices nationwide, leaving millions of patients in smaller cities and rural areas without proper access to specialized care.
“Technology is now the only practical way to reach millions of people. Digital healthcare platforms, virtual consultations, diabetes monitoring gadgets and artificial intelligence based systems can help bridge this huge gap,” Prof Abbas Raza maintained.
He advised diabetic patients to regularly monitor key indicators including HbA1c below seven percent, body mass index below 23 and blood pressure at or below 130/80 mmHg to avoid life threatening complications.
He said the AWAZ initiative was helping train general practitioners under the supervision of senior specialists to improve diabetes screening, counselling and management through technology based healthcare solutions.
Project Director of Discovering Diabetes and CEO of PharmEvo Syed Jamshed Ahmed said Pakistan urgently needed collective efforts to slow the rapid progression of diabetes in the country.
“Pakistan today faces a double burden — a massive rise in diabetes cases and a serious shortage of specialized diabetes healthcare professionals. This is where initiatives like AWAZ become critically important by connecting patients with expert care through awareness, virtual connectivity and structured disease management,” he said.
He said millions of Pakistanis either remained unaware of their diabetes status or were living with poorly controlled disease.
“Knowing your diabetes status is the first step toward saving your life. If patients manage diabetes properly and adopt healthy lifestyles, they can live healthy and productive lives,” he said.
Syed Jamshed Ahmed noted that even Pakistanis living in the United Kingdom were struggling with diabetes control, showing that the problem was closely linked with lifestyle and dietary patterns.
He said PharmEvo launched the Discovering Diabetes initiative in March 2021 to identify undiagnosed diabetic patients, connect them with diabetes educators and facilitate timely medical care through digital platforms.
Through a toll free helpline and AI based WhatsApp chatbot, individuals can access free diabetes risk assessment, guidance from qualified diabetes educators and free online consultations with endocrinologists for high risk patients.
According to data shared at the event, the initiative has so far reached over 11.1 million individuals, tracked more than one million high risk people, connected around 480,000 individuals with educators and doctors and provided guidance and care support to over 360,000 people.
Officials said 4,441 patients had been enrolled on the AWAZ portal so far, while 3,245 diabetes education consultations and 1,196 virtual consultations by endocrinologists had also been conducted.
The event, hosted by television anchorperson Waseem Badami, concluded with several patients sharing their experiences of connecting with the Discovering Diabetes and AWAZ initiatives through social media platforms and improving their sugar control and quality of life through expert guidance and counselling.