ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — The federal government has set aside Rs6.8 billion for a national diabetes programme to expand screening, early diagnosis, and treatment across the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a message for World Diabetes Day.
The money is for the Prime Minister’s Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus, he said. In his message for the day, observed on Saturday, November 14, the prime minister said diabetes was emerging as a serious public health concern in Pakistan that required coordinated efforts, timely medical intervention, and greater public awareness.
This year’s theme, “Early Action on Diabetes”, highlighted the importance of timely screening and treatment in preventing complications and saving lives, he said. Early screening and diagnosis were essential to identify people at risk and to stop the disease from starting or getting worse.
34.5 million adults
President Asif Ali Zardari, in a separate message, called on Pakistanis to make prevention, healthy living, and early diagnosis a national priority. Citing the latest International Diabetes Federation estimates, he said 34.5 million adults in Pakistan were living with diabetes in 2024, and that more than a quarter of them had not been diagnosed.
Many cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through a balanced diet, regular physical activity, a healthy weight, and avoiding tobacco, the president said. He urged people to cut down on sugary drinks and foods high in sugar and unhealthy fats, and to make walking, exercise, and sport part of daily life, adding that families and schools had a special responsibility to encourage healthy habits from childhood.
A year ago, on World Diabetes Day 2025, the health ministry and the World Health Organization warned that diabetes affected one in three adults in Pakistan.
Neither message said how the Rs6.8 billion would be spent across provinces or facilities, or over what period.
