Shifting the Horizon: A4D’s Vision for Sustainable Type 1 Diabetes Care in South-East Asia
- Rachel Teoh
- Jun 26
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 30
For years, Action for Diabetes (A4D) has pursued a deeply rooted mission: saving lives and ensuring that individuals living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) receive the critical medical support they need to survive and thrive. At the heart of this effort is our Clinic Support Programme (CSP). Working hand-in-hand with our dedicated partner hospitals and clinics across South-East Asia, we have been able to deliver essential medical resources directly to the vulnerable communities who need them most.
As the needs of our community have grown, our approach has naturally grown with them. Over the years, A4D has steadily expanded its scope to encompass comprehensive T1D education, patient empowerment, healthcare capacity building, and impactful regional research.
This continuous evolution has brought us to a pivotal next chapter. While our core focus remains exactly the same—saving lives and empowering the T1D community—we are intentionally shifting our path forward to secure a more sustainable, long-term impact. We recognize that true health equity ultimately requires health system reform and policy change. By building on the strong foundations laid by our healthcare partners and regional programmes, we are entering a new era of strategic planning designed to transform the landscape of T1D care for generations to come.
With this enduring commitment in mind, we are pleased to share the principles guiding our journey ahead:
Early Steps: Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines
Over the last quarter, our team has worked diligently to lay the groundwork across three of our key partner nations: Cambodia, Laos, and the Philippines. Through high-level presentations, strategic meetings, and collaborative dialogue, our purpose has remained singular: to advocate for the inclusion of T1D into universal healthcare schemes and national public health systems. In doing so, we aim to ensure that no individual or family is left to bear the financial burden of this chronic condition alone.
Cambodia
In Cambodia, we advanced our mission on both governmental and clinical fronts. We met with representatives from the Preventive Medicine Department (PMD) at the Ministry of Health (MOH) to explore new avenues for national collaboration. These joint efforts will focus specifically on the development and publication of T1D epidemiological evidence, as well as advancing T1D patient education and community empowerment initiatives.
Alongside these strategic talks, we proudly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) renewing our long-standing partnership with Cambodia’s largest paediatric care provider: the Kantha Bopha group of hospitals in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
This MoU cements our joint commitment to building a framework that strengthens access to sustainable, quality T1D care nationwide. Beyond direct clinical support, this partnership will place a strong focus on generating evidence and publishing localised T1D data, with the ultimate goal of producing a peer-reviewed manuscript on T1D epidemiology and clinical outcomes in Cambodia.
Laos
Our operations in Laos began in 2016 in partnership with Mahosot Hospital, and with the formal endorsement from the Ministry of Health (MoH). Since then, we have achieved significant progress, establishing robust T1D care at the tertiary level within Mahosot Hospital, where the unit is now fully led by local T1D specialists.
Building on this success, Mahosot Hospital Director Dr. Souksavanh Vongphachanh has given his full support to transition the project toward four key strategic actions while maintaining our core Clinic Support Programme:
Decentralisation of T1D care: Expanding T1D care to selected provincial hospitals to reach families far from the capital.
Multidisciplinary Teams: Developing comprehensive care teams to support holistic patient needs.
Transition of Care: Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a seamless transition from paediatric to adult medical care.
Digital Empowerment: Advancing T1D education and psychosocial support via digital channels.
Recently, we highlighted these milestones during our annual project update meeting. This event served as an excellent platform to present the progress and of our work to corporate partners as well as representatives from the Lao Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The momentum from this meeting opened doors for further high-level discussions with the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) unit. Together, we agreed on concrete next steps to integrate T1D into the implementation of the broader national NCD plan—a crucial milestone that fosters long-term, structural commitment from the MOH to decentralise T1D care and expand access to provinces far from Vientiane.
Philippines
In the Philippines, our efforts focused on deepening local roots while driving high-level policy discussions. We had invaluable opportunities to engage with local government leaders in both Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental to raise awareness of the unique needs of the T1D community and explore avenues to integrate T1D into public healthcare systems.
Our visit also marked a key milestone for our CSP in Negros Oriental, as we formally handed over a Point-of-Care (POC) HbA1c testing machine to the clinic. This device delivers immediate, on-site results, allowing doctors to discuss data with patients and adjust treatment plans in real time, eliminating the usual weeks-long wait for lab results.
We are incredibly encouraged by the high level of enthusiasm shown by the Local Government Unit (LGU) in partnering with A4D to advance T1D care. In a powerful step toward local sustainability, the LGU is looking to allocate a budget specifically for the provision of insulin for individuals living with T1D, alongside supporting training for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to strengthen regional healthcare capacity. We express our sincere gratitude to the LGU for this vital, forward-thinking commitment.
Concurrently, our discussions with the leadership and management teams from PhilHealth and the Department of Health focused on identifying practical pathways to incorporate T1D within the Universal Health Care framework. These high-level talks are essential to strengthening healthcare financing and improving long-term, sustainable access to essential diabetes services across the nation.
Building the Future, Together
Shifting our approach to blend essential clinical support with national policy advocacy is a profound undertaking, and it is a journey we cannot walk alone. By anchoring T1D care firmly within public health systems, we are laying the foundation for a future where healthcare access is both sustainable and guaranteed.
We are actively seeking strategic partnerships with regional stakeholders, healthcare innovators, and policy advocates who share our unwavering dedication to health equity. Together, we can work toward #takingontype1 and create a sustainable, equitable future for everyone living with T1D in South-East Asia.
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