KARACHI: Number of diabetics is expected to reach 60 million in Pakistan by 2045 if immediate preventive measures including increase in taxes of Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) implementation on National Action Plan regarding Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are not taken by the authorities, experts warned on Monday.
“Diabetes is more than an epidemic in Pakistan where 33 million people are living with diabetes and around 10 million children are obese and overweight. If immediate measures are not taken to prevent diabetes, number of diabetics would reach 60 million by 2045,” Secretary General, Diabetes Association of Pakistan (DAP) Prof Abdul Basit told a news conference in Karachi.
On the occasion, he inaugurated the first ‘Centre of Excellence in Diabetes Care’ at Ehad Medical Centre in Karimabad Karachi where all diagnostic, screening and treatment facilities including screening of eyes, kidneys and foot-care have been provided under one roof while health educators, nutritionists and counsellors would also be available to guide the patients to keep their disease under control.
Prof Abdul Basit, who is also the representative of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in Pakistan, maintained that on the recommendations from IDF as well as Diabetes Association of Pakistan (DAP), ministry of health had recommended an increase in taxes on sugar sweetened beverages but the new taxes could not be levied in the budget, hoping that taxes on these beverages were likely to be increased in the next budget.
“In addition to increasing taxes on SSBs and fast food as well as processed food, there is a need to close down all the schools which are functioning without playgrounds in the country,” Prof Abdul Basit said adding that there was also a need to include lessons on prevention from diabetes in the national curriculum.
The eminent dialectologist maintained that all the ministries including ministries of health, education, finance and others need to join hands while media should also be taken be taken on board to launch a comprehensive strategy to curtail incidence of diabetes in the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022