Action on Diabetes: The private sector and NGOs

Prevalence of diabetes among the adult population in Ukraine is over 7%, and reduced access to appropriate diabetes care was quickly identified as a health crisis when the war began, garnering attention in international media and journals. At the start of the war, NGOs such as the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Beyond Type 1 and JDRF worked with WHO and the Ministry of Health to understand how the international diabetes community could best help, in a situation where normal shipping channels had been blocked or restricted. This improved communication between multiple organisations and enabled NGOs to assist rapidly and effectively.

Significant amounts of humanitarian aid have been received from civil society – both NGOs and the private sector – with bureaucratic barriers being rapidly removed to assist patients in receiving timely assistance. For example, pharmaceutical companies provided supplies to the Ministry of Health, and IDF and its partner Direct Relief provided aid to the Ministry of Health and to patient organisations and assisted in coordinating help for people living with diabetes. More personalised help is particularly important for people living with diabetes to better manage their condition, and the voluntary sector, based in local communities, is well placed to make significant contributions.

What we have learned from the war is that people living with diabetes need to be prepared to face uncertain situations and they need to be proactive in managing their condition and taking care of their health… I would like to thank the international diabetes community and everyone who supported us over the last year. International assistance made it possible to provide insulin, so that there would be no interruption in the provision of vital medications to people with diabetes. This has been, is and will remain critically important.

Dr Iryna Vlasenko, vice president, International Diabetes Federations

Knowledge

Ukraine Civil Society Action