MOSCOW, January 14 (Sputnik) — Poor state of diabetes treatment in the United Kingdom leads to complications and drives up extra costs to the National Health Service (NHS), the report published by the Diabetes UK charity said Wednesday.
According to the report, diabetes accounts for 10 percent of NHS budget reaching 10 billion pounds (over $15 billion) a year. However, over 80 percent of this money has been spent on treating complications, rather than being invested in measures preventing diabetes.
The report also indicates that approximately 40 percent of Britons with diabetes still do not get the annual checks recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
"The overarching messages from this State of the Nation report are that good care now for everyone with diabetes, and a greater focus on prevention, can save money in the longer term – money that would otherwise be spent on treating avoidable complications, and on caring for people with avoidable cases of Type 2 diabetes," Chief Executive of the charity Barbara Young said in a statement.
According to the Diabetes UK estimates, almost three billion people in the United Kingdom have been diagnosed with diabetes, accounting for six percent of adult population. Another 9.6 million people are at high risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.
