Health Care Provision for People with Diabetes and Postgraduate Training of Diabetes Specialists in Eastern European Countries
Abstract
Diabetes is one of the largest public health problems of the modern era, in terms of its impact on healthcare, society and economic burden. Diabetes affects almost 33 million people in the European Union (EU).
Although extensive epidemiological data can be obtained about diabetes in different countries from the World Health Organisation and International Diabetes Federation databases, accurate information about the epidemiology, healthcare services and the management of diabetes in Eastern European countries is neither readily available nor well known. The aim of the present paper is to provide an overview of the actual current epidemiological data for diabetic patients, health care systems and reimbursement details, and the system of postgraduate education and requirements to allow doctors to treat diabetes in some parts of Eastern Europe.
Information was collected from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria and Romania. The sources for this article came from publications, and from personal communication with practising healthcare providers from these countries.
Each of the healthcare systems in these countries suffers from deficient economical resources, which are crucial to develop care and improve outcomes for diabetic patients. The introduction of national diabetes programmes in some countries has achieved considerable improvements in diabetes care and outcomes.
Effective treatment of patients with diabetes not only saves lives but also money in a state's financial budget. This was shown by the Federal Target Programme in Russia where a reduction in mean NbA1s of only 1% produced an annual saving of 246.7 million US dollars