19.5 Million Indonesians Have Diabetes, Perkeni: Very Concerned

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Number of people with diabetes in Indonesia reached 19.5 million. However, only 2 million sufferers have been diagnosed and received treatment.

Launching from IDF Diabetes Atlas 2021, 10th Edition, only 2 million of the 19.5 million people with diabetes in Indonesia are diagnosed and receive treatment. Lack of awareness of diabetes is still a major challenge for the government. Diabetes itself is a chronic disease which can lead to various complications.

Globally, it is estimated that 537 million people suffer from diabetes, and this number represents approximately 1 in 10 people worldwide living with diabetes. This figure in 2030 is projected to increase to 643 million, and to 784 million in 2045 if no intervention is carried out.

The Executive Board of the Indonesian Endocrinology Association (PB PERKENI), Ketut Suastika, said the number of people with diabetes in Indonesia continues to increase from 10.7 million in 2019 to 19.5 million in 2021. This year, Indonesia is ranked fifth with the highest number of diabetics in the world. , up from seventh place from 2019. “This increase is very concerning,” he said, quoted by Tempo.co from the press release of Novo Nordisk, on Friday, December 3, 2021.

Suastika said prevention of diabetes and its complications, as well as diagnosis and self-monitoring of blood glucose levels are very important components in the health system. However, there are still many problems such as lack of public awareness and understanding, stigma of chronic disease, and misinformation about diabetes.

For this reason, in commemoration of World Diabetes Day and 100 years of insulin discovery, the global health care company Novo Nordisk Indonesia, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), the Indonesian Endocrinology Association (PERKENI), and the Danish Embassy, ​​collaborated to launch a WhatsApp chatbot, TanyaGendis, which provides a variety of information about diabetes and helps the public understand the risks of this disease.

Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, HE Lars Bo Larsen said chatbot and the public service advertisement that they launched on December 3, 2021, is expected to motivate the public to actively beat diabetes. “In the future, we will accelerate cooperation in the health sector with Indonesia to improve public health management,” he said.

HENDRIK KHOIRUL MUHID

Read: Novo Nordisk Indonesia Launches TanyaGendis, Asks About Diabetes

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