ISLAMABAD: Pakistan urgently needs a new nationwide diabetes survey to determine the true scale of Type 2 Diabetes.
Prof Dr Abdul Basit, one of Pakistan’s leading diabetologists and president of the Diabetes Asia Study Group, said a fresh national survey is “immensely important”, but stressed that strengthening the health system’s capacity to manage diabetes is equally critical. “Spending money on the affordability and accessibility of diabetes medicines, developing a strong primary care infrastructure for diabetes, capacity building of primary care physicians, and investing in diabetes registries are also very important,” Prof Basit stated. “Now, what should come first—whether it is a fresh survey or improving existing diabetes care facilities and capacity—should be decided by the authorities in consultation with stakeholders,” he added.
Prof Basit, who is also chairman of the Health Research Advisory Board, said relying on decade-old data in a country undergoing rapid lifestyle changes is no longer tenable. “The last national diabetes survey was carried out in 2016–17, and its findings were later reported in the IDF Atlas in 2021,” he said. “Since then, nothing fundamental has improved in terms of risk factors. Obesity is increasing, physical activity remains low, and dietary patterns are worsening. In this situation, it is quite possible that the real number of people with diabetes is much higher than what we currently quote.”
While the World Health Organization estimates that around 34.5 million people in Pakistan are now living with diabetes, Prof Basit cautioned that even this figure may underestimate the true burden. “We are seeing more patients at younger ages and with more complications. Without updated, population-based data, we are effectively planning in the dark,” he said.
Pakistan’s last major diabetes survey was one of the most comprehensive public health studies. The methodology met international standards, and its findings were endorsed by global health bodies, providing Pakistan with its first reliable national snapshot of diabetes and prediabetes.
That survey revealed alarmingly high rates of Type 2 Diabetes and prediabetes, placing Pakistan among the countries with the fastest-growing diabetes burden. Since then, experts say, urbanisation has accelerated, physical activity has declined further, and consumption of ultra-processed and sugary foods has increased, while early diagnosis and preventive care have not kept pace.
