An estimated 10 per cent of the world’s adult population, nearly 600 million people, will suffer from the diabetes epidemic by 2015, according to a recently report.

The ‘Rising to the Challenge’ report, published at the World Innovation Summit for Health in Doha, recently, called for policymakers to address the serious, urgent and universal diabetes challenge.

Diabetes currently lacks the public or political priority that it should have, according to experts, who have proposed three clinical goals for policymakers.

It includes establishing effective surveillance to identify and support those at risk of type 2 diabetes; establishing effective surveillance to identify and support those at risk of type 2 diabetes; and delivering a range of interventions to help create an environment focused on prevention.

Professor Stephen Colagiuri, professor of Metabolic Health at the University of Sydney, Australia, who led the team that published the report, said: “This report aims to equip policymakers around the world with tools to stem the tide of diabetes. Doing nothing is not an option, so it is vital that we share and learn from best practice examples from around the world and put interventions in place.

“The World Innovation Summit for Health has been a great platform for health leaders and policymakers to share ideas and expertise and I am confident that many of these initiatives will be taken forward.”

Professor The Lord Darzi of Denham, executive chair of WISH and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College of London, said: “Today’s discussions on the challenge of type 2 diabetes will have had a profound impact on key influencers in this field of health. I hope that delegates were able to gather insight that will empower them to take steps towards preventing and treating type 2 diabetes.

“We are grateful to Professor Colagiuri and his team for producing this valuable body of work which I know will help us take a meaningful step in our fight against diabetes both now and in the future.”

As well as diabetes, WISH has also published reports on Communicating Complex Health Messages, Patient Safety, Delivering Affordable Cancer Care, Dementia, Universal Health Coverage, Mental Health and Wellbeing in Children, and Maternal and Newborn Health.

Meanwhile, health professionals and policymakers debated the human right to health as the new report called on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to be implemented across the globe.

‘The Next Billion: How to Deliver Universal Health Coverage’ report by Sir David Nicholson, former chief executive of the National Health Service in England,  said UHC is the basic concept that every person, everywhere, should have access to healthcare without suffering financial hardship.

The report was based on a review of all available evidence and highlighted the substantial benefits UHC can deliver – for individuals, for countries and for politicians – and provides a solid framework to support policymakers in transitioning their nations’ health services to UHC.


It recognised that designing and implementing a UHC strategy cannot be seen as a one-size-fits-all process. But a consensus is emerging on effective approaches to UHC that can be applied universally and it’s these evidence-based recommendations that will see the global movement towards UHC continue to gather momentum.

Another report ‘Healthy young minds: transforming the mental health of children,’ said the wellbeing of children must become a major priority for every nation and work must start within communities, healthcare systems and schools to address the burden of poor mental health in childhood.

Childhood mental illness should be taken as seriously as physical illness and charities must harness smartphone technology to make education and support programs accessible to all.

One in ten young people under 18 has a diagnosable mental illness such as depression, anxiety and conduct disorder – amounting to 220 million worldwide, it said.

Of these, more than half will go on to develop mental illness in adult life and have a three times higher risk of being involved in crime, drug abuse or suicide. Less than a quarter of mentally ill children are getting specialist help for their problem and this lack of intervention costs societies dearly.

The report argued that the investment required to implement the recommendations could revolutionise the lives of children, while also producing major economic benefits to society.

It focuses on ten specific evidence-based action points that can be carried out in every country and would bring great benefit, including community action; parity of esteem; universality; professionals; schools for wellbeing; measurement; a life-skills curriculum; teacher training; use of mobiles; and the sustainable development goals.

WISH is spearheaded by Qatar Foundation to inspire and diffuse healthcare innovation and best practice. It remains closely aligned to the vision and mission of QF to unlock human potential and reinforces Qatar’s pioneering role as an emerging centre for healthcare innovation. - TradeArabia News Service