Our world is an unequal one and our health systems are no exception
The Need for an Inclusivity Shift
On April 7, on the occasion of World Health Day, IDF Europe joined the WHO “Building a fairer, healthier world” campaign. If “some people are able to live healthier lives and have better access to health services than others”, this is entirely due to the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light many of the pre-existing health inequalities in Europe, and its impact has been harshest on those communities that were already vulnerable, who were less likely to have access to quality healthcare services.
When we discuss “building a fairer, healthier world”, we must focus on health inclusivity. Inclusivity is often defined as “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized”. Practically speaking, this means creating a system that leaves no one behind and is inclusive of everyone’s financial, political, digital, or socio-cultural status. Only an integrated system with strong investment in primary healthcare and a more inclusive approach to vulnerable and low socio-economic groups will help address the health inequalities that have been exposed by COVID-19.
We at IDF Europe want to promote not returning to our "unequal normal" but building a "new normal" together, which will be more inclusive for all.
On April 22, IDF Europe held a webinar titled “Leveraging Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Need for an Inclusivity Shift” to endorse the idea that pandemics, including the diabetes one, can be overcome (and prevented in the future) through INCLUSIVITY. During the webinar, expert guest speakers explored why health inequalities need to be addressed in order to improve diabetes prevention, management, and, ultimately, the quality of life of people living with diabetes across Europe.
We wish to thank Dr Niti Pall, Prof Peter Goldblatt, Prof João Manuel Valente Nabais, Prof Sudhesh Kumar and Mrs. Garance Wattez-Richard, for their expert and active engagement in the panel discussion.
You can access the recording of the webinar here.
During the webinar, we announced the publication of the ‘Living in COVID Times: Experiences from People living with Diabetes’ report. This report reveals the findings of IDF Europe’s Diabetes & COVID-19 survey, conducted between August and October of 2020, which saw the participation of 3,480 people living with diabetes (PwD) in 32 European countries.
The survey aimed to understand the experiences of people living with diabetes during the pandemic, to figure out how the restrictions put in place had affected their ability to manage their care and mental health, but also to identify gaps in healthcare provision and to understand what best practices have been put in place that we can leverage going forward.
Download the report to read more about the findings and IDF Europe's recommendations for restructuring health systems post-pandemic.
We have been informed that a number of countries in Europe have to rely exclusively/largely on donations to get COVID-19 vaccines for their population; in addition, in many countries, people living with diabetes are not prioritized in the vaccination programme, despite being at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.
In order for IDF Europe to support the efforts of its members, we ran a survey to get a better overview of the vaccine situation across Europe. We thank the Associations who have already contributed and look forward to hearing from those who have not had the time to respond yet.
We will share the results of this survey soon.
IDF EUROPE YOUTH PLATFORM
Join the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Lab 2021!
To nurture a new generation of youth advocates and create a strong pan-European network as well as strengthen engagement with youth, IDF Europe has, for the past decade, organized a yearly Youth Leadership Camp (YLC). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 we launched the first Youth Leadership Lab (YLL), an online-based leadership development program spanning over five months.
Due to the current health situation in the European region, we decided to build further on the success of last year’s IDF Europe Lab, and we are proud to announce that the call for applications for the 2021 Youth Leadership Lab will be launched this week. Stay tuned!
MEMBER NEWS
GUDEAS implements in-hospital protocols on ‘Management of Hyperglycaemia in Hospitalized Patient with COVID-19 Infection’.
The round-the-clock management of diabetes should not be forgotten, especially during COVID-19 times. That’s why the Georgian Union of Diabetes and Endocrine Associations (GUDEAS) devised an initiative on in-hospital protocols on ‘Management of Hyperglycemia in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 Infection’. Through this initiative, they provided recommendations for the management of Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS) and hyperglycemia in people living with diabetes who contracted the COVID-19 virus. They also issued recommendations on nutritional intake for PwD who were placed in so-called ‘COVID zones’, such as hotels and hospitals. These were specifically designated areas for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.
Such protocols on the management of PwD and hyperglycemia are a novelty in the Georgian health system. Click here to read more about this important milestone for the diabetes community in Georgia.
COVID-19: In Portugal, by the end of May, all people living with diabetes above 16 will have received their first vaccine shot
Portugal is currently starting the second COVID-19 vaccination phase. The Portuguese Diabetes Association (APDP) estimates that, by the end of May, all people living with diabetes above 16, type 1 or type 2, will have received the first shot of the vaccine.
In the first phase that ended in April, between 300,000 and 400,000 people (i.e. 30% - 40% of people with diabetes in Portugal) were vaccinated. They were either people over 80 who are living with diabetes or people over 50 living with diabetes and respiratory, cardiac or renal failure - a population at higher risk of serious complications.
The second phase now includes all people living with diabetes aged 16 and over, as strongly advocated for by APDP, in the context of its participation in the COVID-19 Vaccination Plan Working Group.
Click here to learn more.
NEWS FROM EUROPE
The WHO Regional Office for Europe releases 'Diabetes in Portugal in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reflecting on the year 2020'
In Portugal, APDP played a big role in diabetes care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Creative solutions were implemented to give online support and help people living with diabetes manage their medications and mental health. Click here to discover more!
Launch of Global Diabetes Compact Promises to Tackle the Diabetes Epidemic
On Wednesday, April 14th the World Health Organisation, in conjunction with the Canadian Government and the University of Toronto, launched an ambitious initiative to address the global diabetes burden. 100 years after the discovery of insulin, issues regarding access to affordable diabetes care still persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. For this reason, the WHO launched the Global Diabetes Compact to empower people living with diabetes to be decision-makers in their care. The initiative promises an ‘all hands on deck’ approach that will involve all stakeholders to achieve its aims of improving access to care and reducing the risk of diabetes.
The Global Diabetes Compact is currently in the beginning stage of development. IDF Europe is excited to see the benefits it will ultimately bring to people living with diabetes in Europe.
For more information about the Compact, download this resource developed by the WHO which outlines tangible targets, next steps, ‘10 reasons to focus on diabetes’ along with the objectives. This article by The Lancet is also a helpful resource to learn more about the Compact.
Webinar for Patients on “Safe and performant Medical Devices for all”
The European Commission is organising a Webinar for Patients on “Safe and performant Medical Devices for all” on 7 May 2021, 14.00-16.00 CEST. The event is organised by the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) in the context of the communication campaign for the new medical devices legislation, an initiative supported by the Third Health Programme 2014–2020.
You can participate in this event by registering here. The webinar will be held in English. All the documents and background information can be found on the event page.
IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATIONS WORK
IDF Europe's Response to the Green Paper on Ageing
This month IDF Europe contributed to the Commission’s public consultation on the Green Paper on Ageing. Older adults are the age group with the highest prevalence of Type 2 diabetes (the prevalence of diabetes in people over 65 is double that for people under 65) and are the fastest-growing segment of the population. At IDF Europe we believe that this demographic change requires the EU to implement initiatives that promote healthy and active ageing as well as invest in sustainable and health-enabling environments. For people living with diabetes to remain active participants in the socio-economic sphere, a series of actions must be implemented:
Reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related complications for all types of diabetes.
Engaging older adults in all decisions around their care, including during policy mapping, consultations and implementation.
Enabling individualised access to diabetes technology and digital tools.
Expanding the availability of diabetes professionals in hospitals and care homes, improving their education and providing support in acquiring essential skills in the digital age.
Expanding research studies that focus on diabetes in the geriatric population.
To read our full response, please click here.
Institutions Enter Trilogues on Health Technology Assessment
With both the Council and the Parliament securing their negotiating mandates, the first trilogue on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) was scheduled to take place at the end of April. For people living with diabetes and other conditions, the potential benefits are clear: improved access to innovative technologies through reduced duplication of efforts and optimisation of resources and expertise.
To learn how HTA can boost innovation and make modern health tools reach patients faster, click here.
IDF Europe response to Revision of the EU general pharmaceuticals legislation
IDF Europe strongly supports the objectives of reducing inequalities in access to affordable medicines for people across the EU, which have become even more apparent during the COVID-19 crisis. We believe that a prerequisite to ensuring optimal health outcomes for PwD and many other conditions is indeed to guarantee uninterrupted access to the required, affordable medicines (and care) throughout their life course. To improve access, we must recognise the need and benefits of placing citizens at the centre of all decisions and to ensure comprehensive and meaningful engagement. Additionally, there must be a focus on the revision of the system of incentives. We also agree that there is a need to promote greater competition especially relating to the introduction of generics and biosimilars, which can afford a significant financial benefit to people and healthcare systems.
To read our full response, please click here.
Joint Letter to the Council of the European Union to Call for an Integrated Approach to Public Health
Organisations from across the health spectrum called on the EU Council to extend the mandate of the EU agency to other areas of public health. This comes as a response to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and an attempt to improve public health in Europe in the future by enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration. In a letter published on Tuesday, April 27, a group of organisations representing patients, healthcare professionals and medical societies, industry, public institutes and broader health advocacy groups call on the Council to consider the expansion of the mandate of the ECDC to other areas of public health that are linked to the current mission of the Centre, notably to cover the interconnections between communicable and non-communicable diseases.
IDF Europe signed the letter as a member of the European Chronic Disease Alliance.
Click here to know more.
Read the joint letter here.
Manifesto for a European Health Union
The COVID-19 pandemic won’t be our last. There will be many other threats to health, including the effects of climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and much more, and we cannot continue with life as before. As Robert Schuman said, world health “…cannot be safeguarded without the making of creative efforts proportionate to the dangers which threaten it”. We must welcome the clear statement made by the European Commission President Dr Ursula von der Leyen in her September 2020 “State of the Union” address, setting out the necessity to create a stronger European Health Union (EHU), building on recent efforts by the European Commission to take action on cross border health threats.
We need to commit to creating a European Health Union that will strive for the health and wellbeing of all Europeans, with no one left behind. We, at IDF Europe, signed the Manifesto, to ensure that people living with diabetes’ voice will be heard, so that policies that affect their health are created not only for them but with them.
MMD ACTIVITIES
Following the launch of the Blueprint for Action on Diabetes in the EU by 2030, the Interest Group on diabetes in the Parliament, MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes, will be holding its first group meeting on May 12, 2021. During the meeting, the MEPs will discuss how best to foster the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Blueprint in order to flatten the diabetes curve, improve the quality of life and health outcomes for people living with diabetes and elevate diabetes on the political agenda. The Blueprint was developed by the diabetes community to raise political awareness and support systemic changes to European healthcare systems. It promotes a holistic approach that fosters a better understanding of diabetes, leading to less stigma and discrimination; the implementation of personalized, person-centred and integrated care; and equitable access to medicines, care and technology.
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
IDF Europe Joins DigiCare4You Kick-off Meeting to Launch Ambitious Five-Year Collaboration
On April 8-9, IDF Europe took part in the kick-off meeting of the DigiCare4You project. DigiCare4You aims to implement an m-health self-management solution for families at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, using schools as an entry point. This new project focuses on four European countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Spain and Albania, and involves local and international stakeholders. IDF Europe leads the communication efforts in DigiCare4You and will work with its member associations to disseminate the project's results and represent the voice of people living with diabetes. Read further here on the start of DigiCare4You.
Trials@Home Biannual meeting Brings Together 31 Project Partners to Discuss the Future of Clinical Trials in Europe
The 31 consortium members of Trials@Home met for the project's biannual meeting on April 21 and 22. The project is laying the groundwork for the future of Remote Decentralised Clinical Trials (RDCTs) in Europe, using technology in order to make it easier for participants to take part in clinical trials. IDF Europe has been working to involve people living with diabetes as key members of the project. As part of a patient expert panel, they provide insights and share their experience to help build the components that are essential to the future success of RDCTs. Find out more about the Trials@Home project and the work of IDF Europe here.
ISLET Hosts Second Annual Consortium Meeting on World Health Day 2021
Since its inception in 2020, the ISLET project has begun its research into an advanced cell-therapy for type 1 diabetes. Its challenge: transplanting insulin-producing islet cells to improve blood sugar regulation for people living with severe type 1 diabetes. IDF Europe is proud to be involved in the project's communication efforts, and was happy to be part of ISLET’s second annual meeting, on April 7. Read more about ISLET here.
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