The diabetes burden is getting worse, not better, in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region – putting growing pressure on healthcare providers and, in turn, the healthcare insurance industry.
“Ultimately this means increasing health insurance premiums, which no one wants,” said Dr Mitesh Patel, Medical Director at Aetna International.
In a white paper titled “Diabetes: the world’s weightiest problem”, the global health services provider warns that diabetes growth threatens to “overwhelm” healthcare systems and wreck economies – despite it being largely preventable and controllable.
Aetna International’s globally mobile population data shows that the total number of members with diabetes increased by 40% across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Americas and the MEA regions between 2014 and 2016.
As a percentage of Aetna International’s member population, the membership in the MEA region showed the highest prevalence of diabetes in 2016 (2.58%), followed by the Americas (2.13%), and Europe (1.59% in 2016), and almost treble the prevalence in Southeast Asia (0.79%).
Most of this increase has been in Type-2 diabetes, commonly attributed to poor lifestyles and preventable through early detection and effective behaviour change.
“This worrying level of diabetes in expats living in the Middle East and Africa is in part a symptom of an imported Western lifestyle and modern sedentary work,” explained Dr Patel.
The huge economic cost of diabetes for health providers, governments and insurers can be mitigated by early detection and disease management, preventing the onset or escalation of the disease. Though these measures mean an initial investment, this is far outweighed by the cost of acute, often emergency, inpatient hospital treatment.
Dr Patel added: “Prevention is the key to combating diabetes, and it requires a shift in the perceived function of health insurers – from only providing support for acute and chronic treatment to encouraging individuals to take more preventative action and adopt healthier lifestyles.” M