Roche expands access to diabetes care for financially disadvantaged in local communities
Singapore, December 15, 2022: Roche today announced that it has partnered with charity organisation, Diabetes Singapore (DS), to launch the Access to Care (A2C) programme in support of people with diabetes from lower-income groups who need a helping hand with regular self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), a move that is crucial to keep their blood glucose levels in range. The programme is a step towards making structured SMBG more accessible and affordable to help ease the financial burden on lower-income groups in Singapore, as blood glucose monitoring supplies are recurring out-of-pocket expenses.
The A2C programme is a public-private partnership that expands access to diabetes care for people with diabetes from lower-income groups in Singapore.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates diabetes prevalence to be 11.6 per cent in Singapore, with the lifetime risk of developing diabetes at 1 in 3 among Singaporeans. Over 400,000 Singaporeans live with diabetes and existing health disparities need to be urgently addressed so they can get access to early diagnosis and therapy support, in order to better manage their chronic condition and prevent serious secondary complications. It takes a network of strong partners working together to address the existing challenges and alleviate the individual and societal burden of this disease.
Roche, grassroots leaders, and Diabetes Singapore distributed diabetes care packs to help people with diabetes manage their blood glucose effectively.
Roche is committed to enhancing access to care by providing the tools for this programme, while Diabetes Singapore is focused on providing personalised education and counselling to support the diabetes management journey of beneficiaries. Bryan Koh, Cluster Head of Asia Pacific Mature Markets & General Manager, Singapore, Roche Diabetes Care, together with Karen Yu, Country Manager of Roche Diagnostics Singapore, met with beneficiaries and grassroots leaders to launch the distribution of up to 800 care packs comprising Accu-Chek blood glucose meters, HbA1c test kits, test strips, and lancets to help beneficiaries take charge of diabetes to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. These care packs will be distributed in phases in collaboration with local patient groups and social workers.
Speaking at the event, Mr. S. Tiwari, Executive Director, Diabetes Singapore, said “This project aims to design and evaluate the outcomes and affordability of a public-private-partnership (PPP) model to optimise diabetes care in the community, and advocate effective community care for the growing healthcare needs of ageing and chronic diseases”.
Mr. Bryan Koh, Cluster Head of Asia Pacific Mature Markets, Roche Diabetes Care, said “Roche Diabetes Care is dedicated to advancing access to care through strong public-private partnerships, disease awareness and educational programmes with industry partners, and patient groups — so we can help more people with diabetes and their families to tackle the challenges in receiving essential care to lead healthy and fulfilling lives”.
Through this grassroots initiative, Roche is equipping more people with diabetes in local communities with the essential tools to monitor the real-time impact of their diet, exercise, and other daily lifestyle choices on their blood glucose levels. Together with thought leaders around the world, including people with diabetes, caregivers, healthcare providers, and payers, Roche shares the goal of transforming provision and expanding access to diabetes care and management — so people living with diabetes can think less about their daily diabetes routine and experience true relief.
References:
IDF Atlas 2021 Available at: https://www.diabetesatlas.org/en/resources/ accessed on 14 December 2022.
About Roche Diabetes Care
Roche Diabetes Care has been pioneering innovative diabetes technologies and services for more than 40 years. More than 5,000 employees in over 100 markets worldwide work every day to support people with diabetes and those at risk to achieve more time in their target ranges and experience true relief from the daily therapy routines.
Being a global leader in integrated Personalised Diabetes Management (iPDM), Roche Diabetes Care collaborates with thought leaders around the globe, including people with diabetes, caregivers, healthcare providers and payers. Roche Diabetes Care aims to transform and advance care provision and foster sustainable care structures. Under the brands RocheDiabetes, Accu-Chek® and mySugr®, comprising glucose monitoring, insulin delivery systems and digital solutions, Roche Diabetes Care unites with its partners to create patient-centred value. By building and collaborating in an open ecosystem, connecting devices and digital solutions as well as contextualise relevant data points, Roche Diabetes Care enables deeper insights and a better understanding of the disease, leading to personalised and effective therapy adjustments. For better outcomes and true relief.
Since 2017, mySugr®, one of the most popular diabetes management apps, is part of Roche Diabetes Care.
For more information, please visit www.rochediabetes.com, www.accu-chek.com and www.mysugr.com.
About Roche
Founded in 1896 in Basel, Switzerland, as one of the first industrial manufacturers of branded medicines, Roche has grown into the world’s largest biotechnology company and the global leader in in-vitro diagnostics. The company pursues scientific excellence to discover and develop medicines and diagnostics for improving and saving the lives of people around the world. We are a pioneer in personalised healthcare and want to further transform how healthcare is delivered to have an even greater impact. To provide the best care for each person we partner with many stakeholders and combine our strengths in Diagnostics and Pharma with data insights from the clinical practice.
In recognising our endeavour to pursue a long-term perspective in all we do, Roche has been named one of the most sustainable companies in the pharmaceuticals industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the thirteenth consecutive year. This distinction also reflects our efforts to improve access to healthcare together with local partners in every country we work.
Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan.
For more information, please visit www.roche.com.
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