KP Launches Free Insulin and Diabetes Care Program for Children

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has launched Pakistan’s first comprehensive public-sector program for children with Type 1 diabetes, offering free insulin, specialist care, telemedicine, digital follow-up and family education.

The three-year Juvenile Diabetes Control Program will be implemented by the KP Health Department in collaboration with the Pakistan Endocrine Society and private-sector partners.

Under the initiative, 500,000 schoolchildren and 200,000 people visiting healthcare facilities across the province will be screened for diabetes.

The program will also train 140 physicians and 560 paramedics in the early diagnosis and management of Type 1 diabetes.

Authorities aim to register an estimated 2,265 children with the condition, establish insulin banks, develop a digital patient registry and expand access to specialist services throughout the province.

The initiative will use the digital care model developed under the SMILE project, or Simplifying the Life of Type 1 Diabetic Kids, which was conceived by endocrinologist Dr. Syed Abbas Raza.

The SMILE platform supports electronic patient registration, telemedicine consultations, digital medical records, diabetes education and long-term follow-up.

Dr. Raza will also assist in training master trainers and healthcare professionals to improve early diagnosis and evidence-based treatment.

Program Project Director and senior endocrinologist Dr. Ibrar Ahmed said the initiative was designed to provide a complete system of care rather than focusing only on insulin availability.

“Children with Type 1 diabetes cannot survive without insulin, but insulin alone is not enough,” he said.

“They also require regular monitoring, diabetes education, nutritional counseling, psychological support and lifelong specialist care. This program seeks to bring all these services together under one coordinated system.”

According to Dr. Ahmed, the digital registry will help health authorities assess the actual burden of Type 1 diabetes, monitor treatment outcomes and improve planning for the procurement of insulin and other essential supplies.

The program also includes standardized treatment protocols and structured education for patients and caregivers through both digital and in-person platforms.

Children under the age of 15 will receive treatment from pediatric endocrinologists, while patients between 15 and 25 will transition to adult endocrinologists through a structured care pathway.

This pathway will include laboratory tests, blood glucose monitoring, virtual consultations and scheduled follow-up visits.

The initiative also proposes providing glucometers, test strips and continuous glucose monitoring devices to deserving children.

Peer-support groups will also be involved to help patients and their families manage the challenges associated with the lifelong condition.

Dr. Ahmed said the initiative could serve as a model for other provinces, as no other public-sector program in Pakistan currently combines large-scale screening, patient registration, uninterrupted insulin access, specialist care, telemedicine and digital monitoring for children with Type 1 diabetes.