Pandemic Threatens Economic Prosperity

Diabetes has infiltrated the Middle East and is now leading to the deaths of nearly one in every three adults…

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This pandemic is largely an avoidable condition: diabetes; and it will soon begin to crush many of the economic dreams throughout the Middle East. Without innovation and dramatic new solutions, the growing economic prosperity throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be threatened by the very dire cost consequences of diabetes to both to GCC nationals and their governments.

Coined by the World Health Organization as the 21st century¹s leading health care challenge, diabetes is now officially well above pandemic levels in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This is due in part to the area’s rapid economic development, which has cultivated a more sedentary lifestyle.

Greater wealth is also associated with a less nutrient-dense diet. These two changes combined lead to higher rates of obesity, which add stress to the body and make it more difficult to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.

The GCC regions have some of the most alarming statistics worldwide, now showing the highest prevalence and rates of increase. In the United Arab Emirates alone, currently 40 percent of overall healthcare expenditure is funneled directly toward diabetes treatment. The proliferation of diabetes and its associated costs in the Middle East place a largely completely unnecessary burden on the region¹s economic prosperity, growth, and security.

Research shows that the total cost of diabetes, which encompasses the cost of care, along with opportunity costs associated with diabetes mortality and disability, is higher in the UAE than in any other GCC country. Adding fuel to the fire, Booz Allen Hamilton forecasts those costs to increase by almost 60 percent over the next 5 years. That’s money that could have been allocated to building the economic security for each of the regions. Funds are instead going toward managing diabetes-related illnesses, something that could have been avoided through education and innovation.

Responding to this collision course with the diabetes destiny of the Middle East and beyond are groups such as The Innovation Institute in Newport Beach, California and its global partners supporting efforts toward healthcare innovation solutions and global challenges to solve complex problems such as diabetes and a broad range of other medical conditions.

For the very first time in history, science and technology have provided society with tools and capabilities to solve some of humankind’s greatest healthcare challenges. Those partners who collaborate on these innovations will both profit immensely and serve humanity in ways people couldn’t even dream possible until this very moment. In a very real sense, these groups and their supporters who are leading the way are truly being the very change they wish to see in the world.

About the author and The Innovation Institute: Barry Didato is chief investment officer and executive vice president of The Innovation Institute, a globally recognized institute based in Newport Beach, California, serving nonprofit partners cultivating innovative solutions to transform healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit www.ii4change.com.