Diabetes is increasing throughout the world, both in developed and in developing countries. Due to limited focus on diabetes from the national health care system in the Republic of Congo, access to treatment and care is limited. Consequently, many people with diabetes go untreated and risk severe complications and premature death. This is more likely if people live in remote rural communities with poor access to care.Moreover, with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes impacting younger and younger populations the risk that women will develop diabetes during pregnancy seems to be rising as is also witnessed in neighbouring Cameroon. Thus, there is a great need to decentralise diabetes treatment and care by building up skills among health care professionals throughout the republic of Congo.The project has two objectives; to strengthen the existing diabetes care at intermediary level and to improve the treatment and care of women with gestational diabetes.
Diabaction in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Congo is initiating this project, which is a continuation and expansion of the on-going WDF-supported project WDF07-258. The successful implementation of the project has identified a greater need for care and treatment of people with diabetes than previously anticipated. Moreover the learning from the previous project has influenced the Ministry of Health of Congo to initiate a national policy to fight non-communicable diseases and this project serves the purpose for increased coverage for diabetes and related NCDs.This project expects to reinforce the current opportunities for treatment and care for people with diabetes by establishing 18 new referral centres and educating more health care professionals. In addition, it will also focus on screening and monitoring of gestational diabetes.18 referral hospitals will be strengthened by being provided with the necessary equipment and by education of their staff in advanced diabetes and related NCD care. The previously 136 strengthened satellite centres and pilot centres from WDF07-258 are able to screen and treat uncomplicated cases of diabetes, while these newly established 18 referral centres will receive more complicated cases.Training of health care professionals will focus on treatment and management of more complicated cases and on the diabetes-associated chronic illnesses. The training will be conducted during four workshops, each lasting seven days. 15 doctors will participate in each workshop and a total of 60 doctors will be trained. To secure the quality of the training, the education of the health care professionals will be based on the IDF Africa diabetes guideline and the Université Numérique Francophone Mondiale (UNFM) diabetes module.In order to improve treatment and care for women with gestational diabetes, four training workshops for midwives working at intermediate levels will be organised. It is the plan to integrate GDM screening in the antenatal consultations in the 24th week of pregnancy or earlier if the woman is expected to be at risk of GDM. Women detected with GDM will be followed closely by a team consisting of a midwife, a diabetologist and a gynaecologist.
· 36 hospitals strengthened and equipped· Referral Centre for the treatment of gestational diabetes created within the Maison Bleue Diabetic Institute· Distribution of a specialised manual for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes in Africa to 12 regions· 49 doctors trained in the treatment of diabetes and 39 paramedics· 157 midwives trained in the treatment of gestational diabetes· 23,816 pregnant women screened for gestational diabetes· 3,396 people affected by diabetes treated· Record for gestational diabetes created and used by Maternal and Child Health Services in 12 regions