• Building Capacity - Reducing Diabetes Complications: A Pacific Islands Model
• IDF Task Force on National Diabetes Policy and Action

Building Capacity - Reducing Diabetes Complications: A Pacific Islands Model

Three out of four deaths in the majority of Pacific Island countries are attributed to chronic diseases. Rates of preventable diabetes complications and early mortality resulting from diabetes are excessive and, in addition to the resultant personal suffering and disadvantage, the economic growth and development of many countries is threatened by this

The Health and Sustainability Unit (incorporating The Diabetes Unit) is working with the Ministry of Health in Vanuatu and Nauru to design, implement and report on a locally relevant and sustainable model to increase the capacity of these Pacific Island countries to manage, monitor and improve diabetes care and reduce eye, kidney and foot complications resulting from diabetes. While this is primarily a clinically oriented project, it has a broader focus on the organisation and systems underpinning clinical care - workforce, clinical governance, information systems, and the cost of care. Therefore this has implications for both policy and practice in developing countries.

A local stakeholder forum of leaders from government, non-government and business organisations was held in Vanuatu (June 2007) and Nauru (March 2008). These forums led to the development of a diabetes 'best practice' model closely approximating internationally recognised standards of diabetes care and feasible within local resource constraints in each country. The models concentrated on developing and aligning the workforce and health services, information, funding and policy with the needs of people with diabetes. The main outcomes of the Forums were:

• an agreed model of diabetes care suited to each country which could be sustained in the long term
• a set of recommendations, pathways and priorities for implementation

Collaborators:

• Vanuatu Ministry of Health
• Nauru Ministry of Health
• International Centre for Eye Education-UNSW
• Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrologists

Funding source:

• World Diabetes Foundation

Reports:

• Building Better Diabetes Care in Nauru - Report on the National Stakeholder Forum
• Building Better Diabetes Care in Vanuatu - Report on the National Stakeholder Forum

IDF Task Force on National Diabetes Policy and Action

As part of the implementation of the UN Resolution, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has established a Task Force on National Diabetes Policy and Action to promote and support the implementation of national diabetes programs (NDPs) and strategies globally. The Task Force is made up of representatives of the seven IDF Regions:

• Associate Professor Ruth Colagiuri (Chair) - Western Pacific Region
• Professor Juan Jose Gagliardino - South American and American Region
• Mr Lex Herrebrugh - European Region
• Dr Abdullah Ben Nakhi - Middle East and North Africa Region
• Professor Ambady Ramachandran - South East Asian Region
• Dr Kaushik Ramaiya - African Region
• Professor Gayle E Reiber - North American Region
• Dr Gojka Roglic - WHO Geneva

Workshop Program

Workshops will be conducted in 2009 in each of the seven IDF Regions of the world to provide mentoring, technical support, advice and raise government awareness of NDPs. The generic workshop program will be available shortly and workshops are planned for Africa, the Western Pacific Region and North America in the first half of 2009.

National Diabetes Programs Toolbox

In support of this program, The Health and Sustainability Unit (incorporating The Diabetes Unit) is developing a handbook of resource material for developing and implementing NDPs including measuring the problem (disease prevalence, morbidity and cost), intervening to mitigate the problem and evaluating the impact of the interventions.

National Diabetes Programs Survey

In order to assess the status of existing NDPs, a global survey of all member associations of the IDF (n=190 countries) was undertaken in late 2008. The results of this survey have established a baseline profile of NDPs globally and provide important insights into the current status of NDPs in each member country to underpin the NDP workshop program. This is critical in defining need-based strategies and prioritising actions. Survey results will be published in the 4th edition of Diabetes Atlas, which will be launched at the 20th World Diabetes Congress in Montreal, Canada, 18-22 October 2009.