The Ministry of Health (MoH) and Novo Nordisk, a Danish healthcare company, have launched an initiative to provide accessible and affordable diabetes care for children and the aged in Ghana.

Known as iCARE, the initiative involves a changing diabetes in children (CDiC) and insulin for seniors programmes to build the capacity of health professionals to provide early diagnosis.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the programme was signed between the health ministry and Novo Nordisk in Accra last Wednesday.

The CDiC programme will be undertaken at 17 hospitals to support 1,500 needy children and adolescents with type one diabetes within a five-year period, while the insulin for seniors programme will come off at 21 hospitals to provide holistic diabetes care and insulin access for 4,000 patients aged 60 and above within three years.

The iCARE initiative will leverage four key areas: capacity, affordability, reach and empowerment, to help patients defeat diabetes.

Partnership

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said the launch of the iCARE initiative was a continuation of an already established partnership with the Danish company in 2014 when they signed an agreement to promote private-public participation to bridge the gap in the growing health needs of the people.

He said the international diabetes federation had projected that 1.32 million Ghanaians would be living with diabetes by 2045.

Mr Agyeman-Manu said the federation also estimated that there were 1,200 children with diabetes in the country who needed access to quality care and insulin.

“In recognition of the impact of non-communicable diseases on public health, the Ministry of Health has started activities to tackle diabetes, including diabetes in children.

“The non-communicable diseases (NCD) policy, which is currently before the Cabinet, prioritises health promotion, early detection and health system strengthening, as well as support for children with diabetes,” he said.

Mr Agyeman-Manu added that the ministry planned to mainstream the interventions into the management and treatment of diabetes to reduce complications associated with the disease.

“I am happy to mention that diabetes care is fully covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme, thereby providing comfort, especially for lower-income patients,” he said.

Significance

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Danish Embassy, Ms Birgit La Cour Madsen, said the iCARE initiative was introduced following the realisation that diabetic patients were among the group who were most at risk of contracting the COVID-19.

She commended stakeholders for promoting public-private partnership in diabetes care.

Among those who attended the event were the corporate vice-president of Novo Nordisk in charge of business Area Middle East, Africa and CIS, Mr Emil Larsen, and the vice-president and General Manager, Middle Africa, Novo Nordisk, Mr Vinay Ransiwal, who joined the meeting via the Internet.

The acting Head of NCD programme of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Mary Efua Commeh, who is also a representative of the Ghana Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and Consultant Physician at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, was also present.