Iloilo identifies 10,712 adults with Type 2 diabetes

ILOILO CITY — At least 10,712 adults in Iloilo province have been identified with Type 2 diabetes mellitus following risk assessments conducted on more than 380,000 residents as of August.

Data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed that 380,334 adults ages 20 and older underwent the Philippine Package of Essential Non-Communicable Disease Interventions (PhilPEN) Risk Assessment through local government primary care facilities.

The identified cases account for about 2.8% of those assessed.

The figures, however, remain subject to a data quality audit by the end of the third quarter.

PhilPEN screening is used to identify people at risk of diabetes, hypertension, and other noncommunicable diseases.

Those requiring further evaluation are referred to physicians for confirmatory diagnosis, treatment, and continuing management.

“Unlike Type 1 diabetes, [which occurs when the pancreas produces little or no insulin], Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance, where the body is unable to effectively utilize insulin, resulting in persistently elevated blood glucose levels,” the IPHO said.

The health office said Type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, and other lifestyle-related risk factors.

Primary care facilities across the province provide blood glucose screening, medical consultation and treatment, patient education, lifestyle counseling, and essential medicines for patients with diabetes.

However, the availability of medicines remains a concern.

The IPHO said medicine supplies in some local government health facilities may not be enough to meet the needs of all patients, particularly those who eventually require insulin therapy.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the IPHO regularly augment medicine supplies in local government units.

To help ease treatment costs, the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP), the primary care package of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), provides eligible members with consultations, laboratory services, and commonly prescribed medicines for chronic conditions, including diabetes.

PhilHealth launched YAKAP in July 2025 as an expansion of its Konsulta primary care package.

Additional medicines may be accessed through health facilities accredited under Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (GAMOT), which provides free medicines to eligible PhilHealth members.

GAMOT covers up to PHP 20,000 worth of outpatient medicines per beneficiary each year, according to PhilHealth.

Meanwhile, the province is preparing for the rollout of the Healthy Hearts Program Plus (HHP Plus), which seeks to strengthen diabetes care at the primary care level.

Iloilo and Guimaras were selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) as pilot implementation sites for the program in the Philippines.

Iloilo province also hosted the 2021-2022 pilot of the Healthy Hearts Program, a DOH and WHO hypertension control initiative, in seven service delivery sites.

That pilot reached more than 246,000 adults, with 80% of hypertensive patients showing controlled blood pressure, according to the WHO.

HHP Plus will establish stronger referral links among rural health units, district hospitals, and specialty hospitals, allowing patients to be managed at the appropriate level of care.

The WHO and the DOH have completed the program framework following consultations with national and local diabetes stakeholders.

Preparations for the Iloilo rollout include the production and allocation of job aids, blood glucose measuring devices, and essential diabetes medicines.

The program is set for official launch during the World Diabetes Day celebration in November.

World Diabetes Day is observed every Nov. 14.

The IPHO continues to implement PhilPEN as part of its efforts to detect diabetes earlier and link patients to treatment and long-term care.