Do You Know What It is like to be a Diabetic Patient in Ethiopia?

Living with diabetes is challenging anywhere in the world, but in Ethiopia, it comes with a unique set of obstacles. Managing diabetes isn’t just about monitoring blood sugar or following a doctor’s advice, its more than that. it’s requires navigating a healthcare system, societal expectations, and economic realities that make day-to-day care far more complex.

The First Hurdle is accessing care

For many diabetic patients, the journey starts with access or the lack of it. While Ethiopia has a growing number of healthcare facilities, proximity doesn’t guarantee quality care. Specialized diabetes clinics are rare, especially outside urban areas, and long wait times often discourage follow-ups.

Adding to this challenge are cultural and societal beliefs. Many people believe diabetes is a condition only for the overweight or those with a family history. This misconception leaves many undiagnosed until complications arise. Social media misinformation exacerbates the issue, with claims of miracle cures through extreme fasting or instant remedies. These practices often leave patients worse off and delay proper treatment.

The result of these is late diagnosis, making treatment more expensive, complicated, and often less effective.

The Cost of Survival

Managing diabetes in Ethiopia is expensive. Many patients can only afford medications and even those are sometimes unavailable. It’s common for patients to rely on pharmacists to secure medications early even at a high cost.

But diabetes management isn’t just about medications. Lifestyle modifications, including proper nutrition and regular exercise, are critical and they’re not cheap. Accessing a nutritionist or a fitness program is often beyond the reach of many patients, leaving them to navigate these changes on their own.

Support Beyond the Prescription

Managing diabetes requires education and community support, but these resources are limited in Ethiopia. Awareness campaigns are scarce and patients may feel isolated or misunderstood, even by family members.

Community support groups, accessible education, and professional guidance are essential, but they’re not widely available. Patients are left to rely on trial and error rather than structured, evidence-based approaches. Even referrals to nutritionists or specialized care are uncommon, adding another layer of difficulty.

What Can We Do?

Being a diabetic patient in Ethiopia isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to stay this way. Improving their lives in Ethiopia requires collective effort. It will need the involvement of policymakers, healthcare providers, and entrepreneurs. With the right focus, we can create systems that prioritize prevention, affordability, patient empowerment, easier follow up and medication access.

And to every health professional who’s ever considered sharing information on social media or other platforms; Do it! There isn’t enough accurate, accessible content out there, and the public can take more. Let’s guide people back to the right treatments and dispel the myths.

Blen Fekade , MD

Project Manager, Lifeline Addis Home-Based Healthcare