The Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Afriyie has stated that government is aware of the high cost of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, and has promised to bring relief to such patients.

The Minister made these remarks at the launching of this year’s World Diabetes Day in Accra.

He indicated that government will continue to promote bulk purchasing of insulin and other anti-diabetic drugs in order to cut down cost.

Government will apply UTO Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPs), compatible safeguards such as compulsory licensing and paraller importation of pharmaceuticals to reduce cost.

The Minister further said that the ministry of Health (MOH) is also negotiating tax relief on local manufacturers and importation of anti-diabetic drugs.

According to Dr Afriyie, the proposed Health Insurance Scheme, as envisaged will remove the cash and carry burden on patients at the primary and secondary levels.

Above all, an exemption policy on the exclusion of adults above 70 years is vigorously being pursued to bring relief to those affected.

Delivering the keynote address themed “Your Eyes and Diabetes Don’t lose sight of the Rise”, Dr Afriyie noted that non-proliterative retinopathy is the most common form of blood vessel damage to the eye due to diabetes. He said that non-proliterative diabetic retinopathy accounts for about 80 percent of all diabetic cases.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative, Dr Melville George, talking about the high increase rate of diabetes cases world wide said an estimated 30 million people world wide had the disease in 1985. By 1995, he said the number had shot up to 135 million people.

According to Dr George, the latest WHO estimate for the number of people with diabetes world wide in 2002 is 187 million and this will increase to at least 300 million by 2005. The Director-General of Ghana Health services, Professor Agyeman Badu Akusah, said diabetes looms large and it will be beneficial to change life styles eating habits, giving good attention to proper medication and enough exercise