A study published in the first issue of Diabetologica Hungarica in 2024 explores potential strategies for reducing the disease burden of diabetes, which affects approximately one million people in Hungary. The author of the publication is Katalin Dózsa, with Tamás Joó as one of the co-authors, who is also the PhD supervisor of the first author.
Approximately 94% of diabetic patients have type 2 diabetes, and their care is primarily the responsibility of general practitioners. A novel methodological analysis of the 2019 national data from the National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NEAK) confirmed that the healthcare system encounters a number of diabetic patients each year that aligns with the estimated prevalence projected by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)—amounting to 1,060,500 patients in the study year. However, the number of patients who actually redeemed publicly funded antidiabetic medications (618,459 patients in 2019) was significantly lower. This considerable discrepancy suggests that the healthcare system requires reinforcement at both the primary and outpatient specialty care levels in an integrated manner to ensure continuous management of diagnosed diabetic patients.
Regarding public healthcare expenditure on treated diabetic patients, the largest portions of public funding are allocated to medication subsidies (37.8%) and acute inpatient care (28.6%), while expenditures on laboratory services and outpatient care are comparatively negligible (1.5% and 6.5%, respectively). The overall expenditure structure—when analyzed by age groups, provided services, and available antidiabetic therapies—can be characterized as defensive, with a predominant focus on critical, life-saving interventions rather than preventive care. This approach is unfavorable for reducing diabetes-related premature mortality, particularly among individuals under 65 years of age.
The authors propose professional recommendations for improving access to preventive services at the levels of general practice and outpatient specialty care. They also suggest expanding the prescribing authority for antidiabetic therapies among general practitioners who hold a diabetology license.
The full article is available at the following link: ResearchGate – Full Text