By IANS,
Islamabad : Diabetes kills one person every eight seconds, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said, adding that the cost of treatment amounts to a staggring $465 billion in the neighbourhood.
Gilani said that World Diabetes Day 2011 being observed Nov 14 around the world draws attention to the lethality of disease and underscores the need of preventive measures at individual and collective levels.
In his his message, the prime minister said the facts and figures released by the International Diabetes Federation are startling.
According to these figures, he said, around 366 million people suffer from diabetes, of whom 4.6 million die every year, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
He said the cost of treatment and care for diabetic patients annually amounts to about $465 billion in the neighbourhood.
What must be a matter of global concern, Gilani said, is the fact that despite such a huge spending, diabetes remains on the upward trajectory.
The prime minister said the disease affects people of all age groups, rich and poor alike, without any discrimination.