Healthcare and Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19 on Patients with Diabetes in Tanzania and Kenya

众所周知，2型糖尿病患者患COVID-19并发症和死亡的风险更高，但他们的医疗保健却因大流行而中断。这可能导致更多与COVID-19间接相关的死亡。坦桑尼亚和肯尼亚的2型糖尿病患者人数正在增加，由于缺乏支持、经济困难和卫生系统挑战，这两个国家在2019冠状病毒病疫情期间控制病情的能力可能受到阻碍。此外，脆弱性的增加可能会阻止患者寻求治疗，生活在城市和农村地区以及两个国家的人的经历可能不同。因此，迫切需要了解COVID-19如何影响坦桑尼亚和肯尼亚2型糖尿病患者的医疗保健和社会经济福利，以便为政策建议和健康教育信息提供信息，以在大流行期间改善这一弱势群体的健康和福利。本项目将通过对2型糖尿病患者进行问卷调查和访谈，以及对每个国家城市和农村环境中的医疗保健提供者进行访谈，来提供这一证据。报告还将确定各国在2019冠状病毒病期间因2型糖尿病而付出的代价，以及国家政策和应急规划应对方面的差距。调查结果将与相关利益攸关方分享，使他们能够参与制定针对每个国家具体情况的政策建议和卫生信息。

People with type 2 diabetes are known to be at increased risk of complications and death from COVID-19, and yet their healthcare has been disrupted by the pandemic. This could lead to more indirect COVID-19 related deaths. Tanzania and Kenya are experiencing increases in the numbers of people with type 2 diabetes, and their ability to manage their condition during COVID-19 may be hampered through lack of access to support, economic hardship and health system challenges. In addition, increased vulnerability may prevent patients seeking treatment, and experiences for people living in urban and rural areas and in the two countries may differ. There is therefore an urgent need to understand how COVID-19 has affected the healthcare and socio-economic welfare of people with type 2 diabetes in Tanzania and Kenya to inform policy recommendations and health education messages to improve health and welfare for this vulnerable population during the pandemic. This project will provide this evidence by administering questionnaires and interviews to people with type 2 diabetes and through interviews to healthcare providers in urban and rural settings in each country. It will also identify the cost of type 2 diabetes to each country during COVID-19 and gaps in national policy and emergency planning responses. The findings will be shared with relevant stakeholders to allow them to input into the development of context-specific policy recommendations and health messages for each country.