Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that occurs when the body either doesn't produce enough insulin or can't use the insulin it produces effectively. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. Worldwide, diabetes is one of the 10 leading causes of death. 10% of patients suffer from insulin-dependent diabetes, type 1, with the risk of immediate death without insulin, and 90% from type 2, with a slower progression of the disease.

In 2024, The Lancet published an update on global diabetes prevalence, estimating that more than 800 million people worldwide had some form of diabetes in 2022, compared to 500 million in 2021. This increase is primarily due to the rise in low- and middle-income countries such as Bangladesh, South Sudan, Yemen and Syria, where MSF teams are working.

In the space of a decade, to meet the specific medical needs of the diabetes patients they see, MSF teams have made their approach evolve and opted for autonomous treatment management. This includes the self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and self-administration of insulin using an injection pen. This is a major advance that radically changes the lives of patients living far from healthcare facilities.

Bangladesh’s MSF project on diabetes in the camps is used in this package as a field example of diabetes treatment challenges and how we overcome several of those.

Almost eight years since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh, fleeing persecution in Myanmar, the possibility of a safe return remains remote. Dire, overcrowded living conditions, a lack of basic services and a complete reliance on humanitarian aid are taking a toll on both refugees and the host community.

Our general and specialised health services include emergency care, mental health, and support sexual and reproductive care. We also treat survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and patients with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes. In Bangladesh, MSF OCP diabetes cohort is about 1,500 patients. 400 patients are taking insulin, with 300 type 2 and 100 or type 1.