On November 16, the Association of Doctors-Endocrinologists of Kazakhstan, led by its President, Dr. Rimma Bazarbekova, organised a World Diabetes Day (WDD) conference. The event brought together over 100 healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people living with diabetes (PwD) in person, with an additional 900 participants joining online. The conference served as a platform for open discussions about the challenges PwD face and potential solutions to address them.
The gathering featured leading experts on diabetes, including Dr. Laura Danjarova and Dr. Gulmira Abdukasova, the chief endocrinologist and pediatrician at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health. Presentations covered a range of key topics, such as managing diabetes during pregnancy, preventing complications, addressing prediabetes, improving diabetes education and exploring the latest self-management technologies.
In Kazakhstan, over half a million people currently live with diabetes. As the number of people living with the condition continues to rise, nearly 40% of PwD remain undiagnosed and, despite the availability of free diabetes medications, most individuals do not achieve their health targets.
IDF Vice-President Iryna Vlasenko participated in the WDD conference, presenting global diabetes trends and highlighting challenges in prevention and care. She also shared strategies for improving adherence to treatment and outlined the work of IDF and IDF Europe in collaborating with national diabetes associations to advocate for PwD. Dr. Bayan Zhumanova, President of the Kazakhstan Diabetes Association, emphasised the urgent need for stronger diabetes prevention strategies. Throughout the event, speakers offered valuable insights and delivered engaging presentations on various aspects of diabetes management.
Following the conference, Iryna Vlasenko attended a press briefing with Members of Parliament and other officials to discuss efforts by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health to optimise resources for tackling costly diseases like diabetes. At the press conference, Prof. Zhanay Akanov, Head of the Kazakhstan Society for the Study of Diabetes, presented findings from the study “Developing an optimal model for financing medicines provision for PwD in the Republic of Kazakhstan.” The research revealed alarming rates of diabetes-related complications, including a significant number of lower-limb amputations, the fact that 49% of individuals on hemodialysis are living with diabetes, and that diabetic retinopathy is the fourth leading cause of blindness in the country.
Member of Parliament, Irina Smirnova, underscored the importance of strengthening prevention measures and advocated for implementing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, citing its success in reducing sugar consumption in other countries. Additionally, Ruslan Zakiev, Director of the Committee for Parents of PwD, stressed the need to improve HCPs training on the use of modern self-management technologies, such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). He also called attention to barriers preventing children with diabetes from accessing pre-school education.
