56,000 diabetes patients in Armenia - doctor

An estimated 56,000 people suffer from diabetes in Armenia, with 24,000 of the patients residing in Yerevan, a specialist has warned.

The head of the Erebuni Medical Center’s Endocrinology Department, Elza Hayarapetyan, told reporters on Saturday that the disease rate demonstrates an increasing trend across the globe, with Armenia being no exception.

“But it is necessary to note that 7-8 years ago we had more treatment-related problems than today. We had the necessary medicine supply last year and this year,” she noted.

The doctor said that the hospitals in Armenia offer free treatment of diabetes only for several groups of the population, including the unemployed, veterans and families of deceased heroes of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, servicemen and their families and the patients in the most acute stages of the disease.

“Visits, diagnostic procedures and medicines are free of charge in our polyclinic, but we have plans make the treatment free for all,” Hayrapetyan said.

Around 530 million people suffer from diabetes around the globe, the death toll of the disease being 4.3 million.