02.10.12
Sleepwalking to diabetes ‘calamity’, charity warns
Another 700,000 people in Britain will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2020, charity Diabetes UK has warned. This would push the total number of people with the disease to 4.4 million, if the Government does not take urgent action.
Diabetes UK is urging ministers to support people at risk to urgently change their lifestyles, to save lives and minimise the financial strain on the NHS.
The estimates of new cases are based on projections compiled by the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory. At the moment, there are 3.7 million people with diabetes, including around 850,000 who are unaware of their condition.
Diabetes UK calls for more resources to prevent diabetes, and fund a major public health campaign to raise awareness of the severity of the problem.
Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “I have grave fears about the potential impact of an extra 700,000 people with diabetes, which is almost the combined population of Liverpool and Newcastle. If this projected increase becomes reality it would be a calamity for the healthcare system and a disaster for public health.
“But the Government and the NHS do not seem to have grasped the scale of the impending crisis and at the moment we seem to be sleepwalking towards it.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Health said: “We are taking wide-ranging action to tackle diabetes. First through prevention – by encouraging healthier lifestyles and identifying those at risk and supporting them to take the necessary action to prevent diabetes. Secondly, by better management of the condition, both in hospital and in the community.”
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