Dhaka: World Diabetes Day is being observed on Tuesday in the country as elsewhere around the world in a befitting manner to create awareness about diabetes among millions of people worldwide.

This year, the theme of the day is ‘Women and diabetes - our right to a healthy future’, promoting the importance of affordable and equitable access for all women at risk for or living with diabetes to the essential diabetes medicines and technologies, self-management education and information they require to achieve optimal diabetes outcomes and strengthen their capacity to prevent type 2 diabetes.

According to a data of International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are currently over 199 million women living with diabetes. This total is projected to increase to 313 million by 2040.

Two out of every five women with diabetes are of reproductive age, accounting for over 60 million women worldwide, while it is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths per year.

As per IDF, diabetes prevalence in Bangladesh would reach 12 million by 2035 posing a big challenge to the health system.