Palliative Care Association of Malawi (PACAM), says diabetes remains one of the health conditions that require serious national attention, especially in rural communities where access to health services is still limited.

Executive Director for the Association Lameck Thambo said this as the country commemorates World Diabetes Day on 14th November 2025.

“Diabetes is one of the conditions that require serious consideration, particularly in ensuring that people in rural areas have access to health care,” said Thambo.

He noted that most rural health facilities lack proper diagnostic services because specialised medical personnel are mostly stationed in central and district hospitals.

Thambo has since urged Malawians to adopt healthier lifestyles, stressing that “diabetes is largely linked to excessive consumption of carbohydrates.”

Meanwhile, Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) Executive Director, George Jobe, has agreed with Thambo, observing that diabetes cases continue to increase annually.

“We are seeing diabetes cases rising every year, which means more needs to be done in screening, prevention and education,” Jobe said.

However, the Ministry of Health has reassured the public of ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s response to diabetes. 

Through a statement, Secretary for Health and Sanitation, Dr Dan Namarika, reaffirmed the ministry’s dedication to improving services.

“The ministry is committed to increasing access to diabetes screening, diagnostic services and chronic care management,” Namarika said, adding that government is scaling up efforts to expand early detection and treatment services across central and district hospitals.

This comes as Malawi joins the global community in commemorating World Diabetes Day on 14th November 2025. 

The Ministry is encouraging stakeholders to integrate diabetes screening, health education and wellness programmes into their daily operations to help combat rising non-communicable diseases.

Latest estimates show that Malawi has over 500,000 people living with diabetes with Africa having over 24 million adults who are living with the condition.