Diabetes affects 463 million people worldwide. The number of cases and prevalence of diabetes have been steadily rising over the past few decades, and it has been agreed around the globe that the rise of diabetes and obesity has to be brought to a halt by 2025. According to the results of the STEPS survey on the prevalence of noncommunicable disease risk factors in Ukraine, 7.1% of Ukrainian adults (18–69 years old) have diabetes, but nearly half of these are unaware of their condition.
Dr Philip Prudyus, Director of the Endocrinological Centre in Vinnytsia, has been working as an endocrinologist for nearly 40 years. However, it was only after the collapse of the Soviet Union that he gained access to wider knowledge – and understood the key to fighting diabetes.
“When I finally got access to the international guidelines and books, I realized that successful treatment requires a multidisciplinary team of endocrinologists, dieticians, psychologists and other specialists,” says Dr Prudyus.
Diabetes and social adaptation
Many myths about diabetes are yet to be dispelled. One is that people with diabetes should avoid physical activity, another that sugar alone should be blamed for this illness. Dr Prudyus works on raising awareness about the true needs of patients, and ensures that those needs are met. For instance, in response to a Ukrainian Diabetic Federation initiative, a football team of young people with diabetes was formed in Vinnytsia.
“Explaining the importance of physical activity to parents and providing children with spaces for sports are essential in our work,” Prudyus says. “We have also established a training centre, which has become an educational base of the International Diabetes Federation.”
Another vital aspect is cooperation with other institutions. Prudyus stresses that special programmes for people with diabetes must be included in the physical education and sports curriculums of universities.
“Collective action is what we need to fight diabetes,” Prudyus says.
Diabetes and COVID-19
Currently, 8 out of 10 patients at the Endocrinological Centre have COVID-19. “People with diabetes are among those who are facing a higher risk of hospitalization and death,” Prudyus says. “We have to worry not only about their lungs, but also about their blood sugar. At the beginning of the pandemic it was especially tough. Our centre wasn’t able to treat patients with COVID-19, so we sent them to specialized hospitals, where the doctors struggled to control their blood sugar levels.”
Today, Vinnytsia’s Endocrinological Centre is well known both in Ukraine and abroad for its systematic approach to managing diabetes. The true success of the centre lies in the team’s motivation, its director believes.
“The best lesson that I learned during my career is that to achieve your goals, you need knowledge and good motivation. Then your motivation serves to motivate your patients, and all others around you.”
The year 2021 has been designated by WHO as the International Year of Health and Care Workers in appreciation of and gratitude for their unwavering dedication in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
This story has been developed by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, with financial assistance from the European Union (EU), within the EU and WHO initiative on health system development in Ukraine, and is part of a series of stories showcasing Ukrainian health-care workers.