Kuala Lumpur, May 26 – Action4Diabetes (A4D) has been working hard over the last 7 years in partnership with local government, NGOs and industry players to close the gaps in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) care in South-East Asia by providing free access to life-saving medical supplies for the disadvantaged living in under-resourced countries of South-East Asia. However, it soon became evident to us at A4D that many of the people with T1D along with their caregivers, struggle with the greater understanding of the condition they have to live with. Access to T1D education and information in their local language was very limited or virtually non-existent. HelloType1 was developed in collaboration with local and international health experts to bridge that gap.

Fast improving and affordable digital access in South-East Asia creates the opportunity to reach out and engage with the broader T1D Community. HelloType1 is A4D’s online educational programme which aims to empower the T1D Community for improved health outcomes. The HelloType1 website carries T1D information in the form of articles, posters and videos carefully adapted and curated from materials published by accredited entities like ISPAD and IDF. It is then translated and made culturally relevant for each country in consultation with local health experts and partners. Each country also has its own HelloType1 Facebook page to establish and foster peer support, moderated by A4D. The programme is developed to become a resource for those living with T1D, as well as their caregivers and healthcare professionals in each country.

On the 26th of May, A4D in collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Health are proud to launch HelloType1 in Bahasa Melayu for the T1D Community in Malaysia. This is the fourth language we have launched in addition to Khmer, Vietnamese, and Thai. This effort would not be possible without the collaborative work with University Malaya’s Faculty of Medicine who worked at the translation and localization of the T1D content, and endorsement from agencies such as MEMS, MDES, FMSA endorsing the work we do at A4D.

In line with this, A4D is pleased to announce Eli Lilly and Company as one of our industry partners. Lilly is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the US and they are committed to improving access to medicines and quality healthcare. This collaboration is part of the Lilly 30×30 goal which aims to improve access to quality healthcare for 30 million people annually by 2030. Lilly has provided financial sponsorship to enable A4D to launch HelloType1 in local languages in a total of 8 countries across South-East Asia.

A4D co-founder Charles Toomey shares his sentiment “We are absolutely delighted and extend our heartfelt appreciation to Lilly. Collaboration is very much part of our DNA in A4D, both with the government and the private sector, and this new agreement with Lilly across South-East Asia is just another great example of that, as we look to further enhance our impact and provide access for young people with Type1Diabetes to essential life-saving medical supplies and empower the community with information about Type1Diabetes”

American author Helen Keller reminds us that “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. With this in mind, we endeavour to journey with like-minded entities to expand our reach to give health and hope to many more young people living with T1D in South-East Asia.

DKA Management in low resource settings