Health For All – Strengthening Prevention and Universal Health Coverage for improved Quality of Life and Resilient Health Systems
On April 7, on the occasion of World Health Day, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO) with the theme “Health for All”. This day highlighted the progress that has been made over the past 75 years and the work that still lies ahead of us in transforming healthcare systems to provide affordable, quality healthcare to all, and to move away from simply treating diseases towards preventing them.
Preventing and managing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes at the right time and with the right tools, is critical to achieving better health outcomes and quality of life and building more resilient health systems.
Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) represents a crucial step in supporting better prevention and improved management of chronic diseases such as diabetes by ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality health services without financial hardship.
While in Europe the majority of the population is treated under statutory health systems for a broad range of services, some population groups still fall outside the safety net these offer, resulting in significant gaps and inequalities within and cross countries.
As documented in IDF Europe’s Delivering Value through Innovation in Diabetes Care Delivery, strengthening primary care is a fundamental component of better healthcare delivery and can bring health services and well-being closer to people.
Re-organising healthcare systems with a focus on quality primary and integrated care, underpinned by comprehensive education of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people living with diabetes (PwD), is crucial to implement UHC and achieve “health for all”. Only through this, can we reduce the burden of diseases such as diabetes and ensure healthy lives for everyone, everywhere.
IDF EUROPE YOUTH PLATFORM
Applications for the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp 2023 are now closed
The applications for the IDF Europe Youth Leadership Camp (YLL) 2023 are now closed. We wish to thank everyone who applied as well as our member associations and all those who shared news about the YLL with their network. We received a great number of excellent applications and we will inform the selected participants over the next few weeks.
We are looking forward to meeting all of you soon!
MEMBER NEWS
Happy 80th Diaversary to the Swedish Diabetes Association!
On May 16, the Swedish Diabetes Association will celebrate its 80th anniversary (“Diaversary”). The association was founded in May 1943, with the aim of improving access to free insulin for all PwD.
After succeeding in its goal of ensuring access to free insulin for PwD in 1958, the association continued to play a key role in advocating for the rights of PwD at school, in the workplace and within the healthcare system as well as in supporting research for new diabetes treatments, technologies and, ultimately, a cure.
“We highlight what it means to actually live with diabetes, and what are the things that are not working in our society, in our schools and in healthcare, so that politicians and healthcare providers can make decisions that help PwD. Our role is not to complain but to draw attention to the problems and come up with solutions”, said Björn Ehlin, Chairman of the Swedish Diabetes Association, about the role of the association.
Read more about the work of the association and the celebrations for its 80th anniversary here
IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
European Diabetes Patient Advocacy Summit 2023
On March 28-29, IDF Europe, in collaboration with Novo Nordisk, held the European Diabetes Patient Advocacy Summit 2023 (EDPAS), with the participation of diabetes advocates from 41 diabetes patient organisations from across Europe.
Around the theme of “The Future of Diabetes Patient Associations – Assessing Values”, the event featured interactive workshops addressing the role and the value of diabetes associations and the diabetes community in a rapidly changing world.
The event represented a great opportunity for participants to exchange ideas, share best practices, collaborate and discuss strategies for strengthening associations’ long-term sustainability.
Read more here
IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin campaign – the country profiles for Norway and France are now out!
As part of our Centenary of Insulin campaign, we are releasing national factsheets presenting key facts about diabetes care, with the purpose of raising awareness and enabling policymakers to make better decisions when it comes to diabetes care.
This month, we released the country profiles for France and Norway!
Click on the images to read the factsheets and learn more about diabetes care in France and Norway.
Watch Nina Tousch’s impassioned testimonial on everybody’s right to gain access to care.
We thank our members and the young advocates who are participating in our campaign, and we look forward to publishing more country profiles.
IDF Europe Twinning Programme
We are delighted to announce that the IDF Europe twinning programme will continue in 2023. We are currently supporting six of our member associations to establish strategic collaborations and work on common projects that can help them grow their capacity by building on their national expertise.
We are looking forward to seeing each collaboration take shape and to helping our members maximise the impact of their activities by connecting, giving and receiving support.
If your association should like to be considered for the twinning programme, please contact martina.boccardo@idf-europe.org.
Learn more about the programme on our website.
We are hiring!
IDF Europe is looking for a new Project and Communication Coordinator to join the team!
Learn more about the position here.
Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae and a cover letter to idfeurope@idf-europe.org.
Applications will be reviewed upon receipt, therefore sending applications as soon as possible is advisable. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.
The successful applicants are expected to start as soon as possible.
Welcome to the team!
We are delighted to announce that a new staff member joined our team in April.
Adam Gyurcsik is our new Youth Programme Coordinator Intern. Adam holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. As leader of a youth movement in Hungary, he gained experience in political communication and the management of projects led by youth and NGOs. He is looking forward to contributing to developing a new generation of diabetes advocates.
IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK
World Health Day 2023
This year, IDF Europe, celebrated World Health Day (WHD) under the theme ‘Health For All’ as well as WHO's 75th anniversary by highlighting the progress that has been made so far in the health sector. We asked the diabetes community about their own points of view, and we shared relevant information with our network on the health status, the challenges and the road ahead us.
NEWS FROM EUROPE
João Raposo: moving beyond recommendations and guidelines
In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, João Raposo, Clinical Director at APDP Diabetes Portugal and IDF Europe Board Member, shared insights into the need for a new relationship between the person living with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and their healthcare professional – one based on a meaningful dialogue where the HCP truly listens and values their patient’s opinion.
The traditional narrative, and T2D prevention and management initiatives, have placed too much emphasis on individual responsibility. If we want to support PwD, we need to understand their perspectives and daily lives and engage with them meaningfully as full partners in their care.
Read the article here
Second anniversary of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact and fourth meeting of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact Forum
On April 18, we celebrated the second anniversary of the WHO Global Diabetes Compact. This ambitious initiative was launched in 2021, to mark the centenary of the discovery of insulin, with the vision of reducing the risk of developing diabetes and ensuring access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care.
To support the vision and goals of this initiative, IDF Europe joined the WHO Global Diabetes Compact Forum, which was held for the fourth time on April 1-2. The Forum gathers NGOs, academic institutions, philanthropic foundations and business associations, and provides a platform for sharing ideas, information and views that help advocates call for a reduction in the risk of developing diabetes and improvements in access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable, quality treatment and care.
Forum members discussed a number of topics including children and diabetes, T2D prevention and the importance of early diagnosis, access to technology, insulin and diabetes education, and new findings in diabetes research. One of the main areas of discussion was the regional divide in access to diabetes education and treatment options.
The next meeting of the Forum will take place on November 1-2, 2023
WHO/Europe - Bucharest Declaration on health and care workforce
Representatives from 50 out of the 53 member states of the WHO European Region met in Bucharest from 22 to 23 of March 2023, in a regional meeting co-organised by the Romanian Ministry of Health and WHO/Europe, at the end of which the Bucharest Declaration was adopted. The Declaration urges political action to protect, support, and invest in health and care workers across Europe and central Asia in response to the mounting workforce crisis facing health workers across the region, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bucharest Declaration specifically calls for political action to address the shortage of staff, challenging working conditions, and insufficient resources by improving recruitment and retention, supply mechanisms, performance optimization, planning, and increasing public investment in workforce education, development, and protection.
Read more here
WHO Report – Access to NCD medicines: emergent issues during the COVID-19 pandemic
On March 22, 2023, WHO released a new report ‘Access to NCD medicines: emergent issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and key structural factors’, highlighting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to NCD medicines. The report reveals that people living with NCDs such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases have faced difficulties in accessing their routine medicines. It also calls attention to the urgent need to improve the transparency of the overall pharmaceutical information ecology as a foundation for pandemic planning and response. The report also emphasizes the requirement for a longer-term strategy to strengthen access and delivery mechanisms during emergencies and mitigate future outbreaks.
Read more here
People Power – introducing WHO’s new “Intention to Action” Series to enhance the meaningful engagement of people with lived experience
On April 11, 2023, WHO launched a new publication series called "Intention to Action" dedicated to the engagement of people living with NCDs, mental health and neurological conditions. The first publication in the series, "People Power" includes six detailed case studies from 12 individuals with lived experience of diverse health conditions. The case studies focus on six key themes which include power dynamics and power reorientation, informed decision-making and health literacy, community engagement and networks, lived experience as evidence and expertise, exclusion and the importance of involving groups that are marginalized, and advocacy and human rights. Each case study reflects shared challenges, diversity in lived experiences, and best practices, providing evidence of why including the voices of those with lived experience is critical in the co-creation of relevant policies, programmes, and services.
Read more here
DiaEuro and IOB Cup 2023
On June 9-11, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, the Polish Foundation for Children with Diabetes will host the European Futsal Championship for Diabetes (DiaEuro) and the Insulin On Board Cup (IOB Cup) 2023. Every year, both sporting events see the participation of national futsal and football teams from all over Europe and nearly 500 players living with diabetes across four age categories.
Since their first edition, the DiaEuro and the IOB Cup have always represented great opportunities for the international diabetes community to come together, have fun and promote the importance of physical activity for PwD.
Read more about the event here
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
Trials@Home semi-annual meeting in Valencia
IDF Europe is a consortium member of an EU-funded research project, Trials@Home, which aims to reshape clinical trial design, conduct and operations, by developing and piloting standards, recommendations and tools for the definition and operationalization of decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) in Europe.
Trials@Home’s hybrid, semi-annual meeting took place in Valencia, on March 30-31. As part of the meeting, Ken Tait, Konstantinos Tagkalos and João Valente Nabais, members of the IDF Europe-led Patient Expert Panel (PEP), held an interactive educational session titled “A twist to the traditional clinical trials: DCTs and patient partners”. Several consortium members participated in the session whose goal was to highlight the importance of understanding the needs and preferences of PwD and how these inform all aspects of clinical trial developments.
Learn more about Trials@Home here
PRIME – Fourth General Assembly meeting
IDF participates in the Communication and Dissemination Work Package of Prevention and Remediation of Insulin Multimorbidity in Europe (PRIME). PRIME is a Horizon 2020 project which studies the insulin-dependent mechanisms that underly both somatic conditions (i.e., T2Ds, obesity, metabolic syndrome) and brain disorders (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorders). During PRIME’s Fourth Annual Meeting, which will be held in Budapest over May 10-12, IDF Europe will present the importance, and the various types, of engagement between PwD and scientists/researchers during research projects.
More information on the project can be found here.
The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Patient Pool is open for applications
The Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) is a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European life science industries. The IHI aims at translating health research and innovation into tangible benefits for patients and society and ensuring that Europe remains at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary, sustainable, patient-centric health research.
IHI is now looking for patients and caregivers to contribute to its Patient Pool. This is aimed at strengthening the voice of patients and informal caregivers in a range of IHI activities.
To learn more about how to join the IHI Patient Pool, click here
UPCOMING EVENTS ACROSS EUROPE
Prevention and Remediation of Insulin Multimorbidity in Europe (PRIME) - 4th General Assembly meeting
Budapest, May 10-12, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
WHO – 76th World Health Assembly
Geneva, May 21-30, 2023 | For more information, find the provisional agenda here
European Futsal Championship for people living with diabetes (DiaEuro) and Insulin On Board Cup (IOB Cup) 2023
Poland, June 9-11, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
16th International Primary Care Diabetes Europe Conference (PCDE) – New challenges for Primary Care in Diabetes Management
Barcelona, June 15-17, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
Ninth edition of the European Scientific Working Group on Influenza (ESWI) Influenza Conference
Valencia, September 17-20, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 59th Annual Meeting
Hamburg, October 2-6, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC73)
Astana, Kazakhstan, October 24-26, 2023| For more information, visit the website here
International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 2023 Virtual Congress - Diabetes Complications and Diabetes in Crisis
Online, December 4-7, 2023 | For more information, visit the website here
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