Impact of humanitarian crises on diabetes care in Iraq and Syria—IDF-MENA region

Abstract

This short review tried to discuss the factors that affect diabetes care during humanitarian crises after the political and military conflicts in post-2003 Iraq and post-2011 Syria. The pattern of the devastating effect of the conflicts on the suboptimal healthcare system and infrastructure is quite similar. Both countries’ long-term and continuous geopolitical instability and security concerns were barriers to applying any disaster preparedness plans. They had markedly exhausted diabetes care in these countries with similar mixed public and private healthcare systems. The influx of huge numbers of refugees with chronic diseases, especially diabetes, in the neighboring host countries created pressure on the healthcare systems. It urged some changes in the national policies with the needed help from the aid organizations to an extent. The internal displacement problem for huge nationals in their country exhausted the already exhausted healthcare facilities, with more burdens on the effective equal provision of diabetes-related medication and management tools. Still, diabetes care is not included as a vital part of the mitigation plans during crises in both countries, with the main concern the communicable rather than non-communicable diseases. Type 1 diabetes mellitus received less care during the crisis in both countries, with the insulin shortage being their major concern. The availability and affordability of diabetes medications in camp and non-camp settings were suboptimal and unsatisfactory. More active planning is needed to build a well-prepared healthcare system with diabetes care as an integral part.

Keywords

• diabetes mellitus
• iraq
• refugees
• syria
• war