Initiatives to empower diabetes patients to form policies for prevention, early diagnosis and timely treatment of diabetes

Empowering patients with diabetes has long been in the focus of medical and health systems in the world, and in recent decades it has been a priority in the policies of individual health systems in the EU. If, initially, the financial argument prevails, over time, the issue of managing own resources acquires a new meaning. Healthcare systems "earn", but patients, their families and communities are involved in more activities, acquire new roles and thus contribute to a better social environment for the lives of the chronically ill. In Bulgaria, in the last few years, training programs have been introduced for patients but they have no ubiquitous support and the National Diabetes Register has only been operating since 2017. The number of people affected by diabetes in our country is increasing, with the age of the patients falling and the percentage of adults growing. Diabetes complications disable patients and reduce their life expectancy. They begin and develop asymptomatically and are often the cause of the disease. Early detection and treatment of the disease is therefore of major importance for the duration and quality of life of people with diabetes. In order to change the situation, it is necessary to consider in detail the existing policies in Bulgaria aimed at expanding and improving the quality of services for people with diabetes and to seek new options for changing the only practice of medical treatment by improving the policies for prevention, early diagnosis and timely treatment of diabetes. In this sense, the project offers initiatives for activating civic participation and co-operation with the administration in analyzing and making specific recommendations for policies on prevention, early diagnosis and early treatment of diabetes in Bulgaria, screening programs and patient education, while at the same time strengthening the advocacy activity and the role of civil society organizations in this area.

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