Africa

Over 2 million Moroccans suffer with diabetes, stats show

More than two million people, aged 18 and over, have diabetes in Morocco, with 50 per cent of whom are unaware of their disease, according to figures of the country’s health department released on World Diabetes Day.

These official figures revealed that the primary healthcare facilities of the Ministry of Health takes care of more than 823,000 diabetics, 60 per cent of whom are holders of the Medical Assistance Plan (RAMED) card and more than 350,000 are insulin-treated.

Thus, an annual budget of nearly 14.6 million euros (156.7 million DH) is mobilized to purchase insulin and oral anti-diabetics and 1.4 million euros (15 million DH) for the acquisition of medical technical equipment and reagents to ensure diabetes screening and metabolic monitoring of the patients.

Diabetes is a serious concern in the world, with a continued increase in the incidence and prevalence of the disease. Presently, 425 million people worldwide live with diabetes, a figure that could reach 629 million in 2045 or one out of ten people.

– APA