Key Takeaways
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government launches Pakistan’s first public program to screen and treat children with Type 1 diabetes.
- The three-year initiative aims to register 2,265 children and provide free insulin and specialist care.
- Program includes digital follow-up, family education, and training for healthcare professionals.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has launched a groundbreaking program aimed at providing comprehensive care to children with Type 1 diabetes. The three-year Juvenile Diabetes Control Program will offer free insulin, specialist care, telemedicine, and digital follow-up services.
Under the initiative, 500,000 schoolchildren and 200,000 people visiting healthcare facilities across the province will be screened for diabetes. This screening process is part of a broader effort to identify and treat children with Type 1 diabetes early on.
The program will train 140 physicians and 560 paramedics in the diagnosis and management of Type 1 diabetes, ensuring that more healthcare professionals are equipped to handle this condition effectively. Dr. Ibrar Ahmed, Program Project Director and senior endocrinologist, emphasized the importance of a coordinated system of care: 'Children with Type 1 diabetes cannot survive without insulin, but insulin alone is not enough. They also require regular monitoring, diabetes education, nutritional counseling, psychological support, and lifelong specialist care.'
The digital component of the program will be managed through the SMILE platform, which supports electronic patient registration, telemedicine consultations, digital medical records, diabetes education, and long-term follow-up. Dr. Syed Abbas Raza, who conceived the SMILE project, will assist in training master trainers and healthcare professionals to improve early diagnosis and evidence-based treatment.
According to Dr. Ahmed, the digital registry will help health authorities assess the actual burden of Type 1 diabetes, monitor treatment outcomes, and improve planning for the procurement of insulin and other essential supplies. The program also includes standardized treatment protocols and structured education for patients and caregivers through both digital and in-person platforms.
Children under the age of 15 will receive treatment from pediatric endocrinologists, while those between 15 and 25 will transition to adult endocrinologists through a structured care pathway. This pathway will include laboratory tests, blood glucose monitoring, virtual consultations, and scheduled follow-up visits. The initiative also proposes providing glucometers, test strips, and continuous glucose monitoring devices to deserving children.
Peer-support groups will be involved to help patients and their families manage the challenges associated with the lifelong condition. Dr. Ahmed highlighted that this program could serve as a model for other provinces in Pakistan, noting that no other public-sector program currently combines large-scale screening, patient registration, uninterrupted insulin access, specialist care, telemedicine, and digital monitoring for children with Type 1 diabetes.
Children with Type 1 diabetes cannot survive without insulin, but insulin alone is not enough. They also require regular monitoring, diabetes education, nutritional counseling, psychological support, and lifelong specialist care.
Dr. Ibrar Ahmed, Program Project Director and senior endocrinologist
