The number of diabetic patients is rising by 10,000 every year and according to the World Health Organisation, Bangladesh will be one of the list of 10 countries with the most number of diabetic patients by 2045.
According to experts, treatment for the non-communicable disease is quite expensive that people in are struggling to cover.
Statistics show that the average expenditure behind a diabetic person is Tk 2,000 per month. With 8.4 million patients, over Tk 200 billion is spent every year.
Experts say that given that diabetes brings about even more diseases, the costs keep on adding up.
International Diabetes Federation says that 80 percent of adults affected by diabetes belong to low income countries.
WHO data says that every year more than 1 million people are affected by diabetes. However, despite the rising number of patients and expenses, diabetes is still low in the priority list of health programs in Bangladesh.
The Directorate General of Health Services non-communicable disease control Program Manager Dr Rezwanul Karim told Bangla Tribune that 67 percent of the ‘out of pocket expenditure’ are for non-communicable conditions such as diabetes.
“As part of our fourth five-year plan, we have set the goal to bring down the percentage from 67 to 40,” he said.
Bangladesh Diabetic Society chief Dr AK Azad said that more people are affected by diabetes than AIDS or malaria and in order to cover the expenses, they are going below the poverty line.
Green Life Medical College Endocrinology Department Assistant Professor Dr Tanzina Hossain says that prevention must be emphasised and a healthy lifestyle from a young age is imperative to achieve that.
She said that the government must take steps to facilitate playgrounds and footpaths for walking and a proper infrastructure to keep number of diabetic patients in check.