“When they diagnosed her with diabetes, my husband and I broke down,” said Thana, who fled from Syria to Lebanon over 12 years ago due to war that has raged on for over a decade. Thana’s eight-year-old daughter, Hawraa, was experiencing inflammation and other symptoms that worsened over time. Thana brought her to a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic in Hermel, Lebanon, where Hawraa was diagnosed with diabetes.
The cost and challenges of Hawraa’s diagnosis weighed on Thana and her husband. Economic and health constraints meant that the family often needed to cut expenses. MSF, however, provided all of Hawraa’s appointments, her medications, and a glucose sensor to measure her blood sugar level free of charge.
In recent years, mortality rates due to diabetes have increased, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Diabetes consultations have increased each year in MSF’s projects around the world. We provided 234,800 diabetes-related consultations in 2023 alone.
MSF provides diabetes consultations and treatments in a range of places—including South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa—and our teams innovate new models of care to support people with diabetes. Learn more about our vital work around diabetes.
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Supporters like you power MSF’s lifesaving care around the world—from diagnosing diabetes and broadening access to essential medicine like insulin to providing emergency medical aid for anyone who needs it. Thank you for making this vital work possible.
Diabetes affects 537 million people globally. MSF is working to make diabetes care more accessible—by providing insulin in our projects worldwide, advocating to make it more affordable, and researching new approaches to care in low- and middle-income countries. By investing in improving staff and patient knowledge, our teams aim to transform the way type 1 diabetes care is delivered around the world, empower patients, and prepare to implement new, easier to use, less expensive products.
Learn more about how MSF is working to improve access to health care in some of the most neglected areas in the world. |
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