S4M-08516 Melbourne Declaration on Diabetes

The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott): The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-08516, in the name of David Stewart, on the Melbourne declaration. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament notes that the first meeting of the global Parliamentary Champions for Diabetes Forum was held in Melbourne from 30 November to 2 December 2013; understands that there are an estimated 382 million people with diabetes, including in the Highlands and Islands, and that this number is expected to rise to 592 million by 2035, that 80% of people with diabetes live in low and middle-income countries, that diabetes will cause 5.1 million deaths in 2013, one every six seconds, that the 66th World Health Assembly held in May 2013 has adopted nine global targets and 25 indicators to help address the non-communicable diseases (NCD) pandemic and that diabetes is the only one of the four major NCDs with its own global target, to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025; congratulates the 90 nations that have signed the Melbourne Declaration on Diabetes, and acknowledges what it considers the pivotal role of the International Diabetes Federation as the unique global voice for people with diabetes.

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Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP): I congratulate David Stewart on securing this important debate. I join others in congratulating the International Diabetes Federation on organising the global parliamentary champions for diabetes forum, which was held in Melbourne last year. I understand that parliamentarians from 90 countries have signed a commitment to establish a parliamentarians for diabetes global network.

Diabetes is, of course, a global crisis as well as a crisis here in Scotland. There are 382 million people around the world with diabetes. That number is expected to rise to perhaps 600 million by 2035. Diabetes will have caused 5.1 million deaths in 2013—that is one every six seconds.

It is an economic issue as well as a social issue and a health issue, with 80 per cent of people who have diabetes living in low and middle-income countries. The annual world cost is about £330 billion. It is a very significant issue on a whole series of different levels.

More fundamentally, the number of diabetics who have been diagnosed continues to rise in Scotland. Of course, that is partly due to better diagnosis and screening procedures but the number of cases is rising by between 4 to 5 per cent per annum.

The Melbourne declaration identifies three specific areas where action could be taken: in prevention, in increasing early diagnosis, and in increasing access to diabetes care and to therapies.

In Scotland, we have the diabetes action plan, which is an excellent way of focusing on some of the issues. In particular, the plan seeks to reduce obesity, which is a primary cause of type 2 diabetes, because as we have heard—and I have some limited personal experience in this regard—diabetes carries with it a whole series of secondary consequences such as amputations and blindness.

The Scottish Government has provided substantial support to diabetes research organisations—it has provided £10,000 to Diabetes UK Scotland in the current year.

I myself am lucky because I have an annual medical so at least in the last 12 months I know that I am not subject to diabetes. The simple urine test that comes as part of that medical is a kind of reassurance that I hope more and more people across Scotland can have.

I have some direct interest in this issue through a member of my own family, who is in Australia. My nephew, Alan Baxter, is a professor at James Cook University—in Townsville, Queensland—who specialises in diabetes. He established a facility there and he is one of a range of scientists around the world who have come up with some remedies. He has come up with one variant of an inoculation for one of the variants of type 1 diabetes. Many of the variants are genetically driven by a series of different triggers. The inoculation is designed to switch off one trigger. I hope that he and the many other doctors and researchers who are working to address the causes and effects of the disease continue to undertake that good work, while our policymakers must continue to support them.

The Melbourne declaration on diabetes has put diabetes on the world stage. I hope that we in this Parliament will add our parliamentary weight to this worldwide parliamentary initiative.

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