Situation of diabetes and obesity in Chile

Abstract

Chile, just like most latin american countries, has high prevalence rates for both diabetes mellitus and obesity. These rates have increased in recent national health surveys, reaching a rate of 12.3% for diabetes and 34.4% for obesity.

Access to health in patients with diabetes is guaranteed through the GES law (Explicit Health Guarantees), both at the state and private levels, including the access, timely care, financial protection and quality of care. Other benefits for patients with diabetes are the Ricarte Soto law and the Emergency law. The first one is a financial protection system for diagnosis and high-cost diseases, which allows access to continuous subcutaneous insulin infusers due to the requirement for microdoses and/or repeated hypoglycemia. The Emergency law guarantees care at any health establishment in the event of vital emergency events. In this way, 10.4% of Chile's health budget is consumed by Diabetes, and it is very likely that this amount will increase in the coming years given the aging of the population and the increase in the prevalence of overweight and sedentarism.