I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1997 at age 13, after developing symptoms including frequent urination, weight loss and fatigue several months prior. The diagnosis was challenging as health providers lacked awareness of diabetes, particularly in children.

In 2001, I was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, for which I had to be transferred to the national hospital to undergo necessary testing, as there were limitations with the imaging facility at the private hospital. The same year, I was diagnosed with asthma. Now living with multiple NCDs, the quality of care from my doctors is critical.

I’m grateful for my wonderful team of doctors, which is led by my endocrinologist and includes a cardiologist and pulmonary specialist. My treatment well-coordinated as the team are all located in the same facility and my medical records are accessible online, easing communication and coordination. Times where this was crucial include when my asthma medication conflicted with my diabetes treatment, which required adjustment of my insulin to re-balance my blood sugar.

I have private and national health insurance, which I use to receive treatment at public hospitals if certain services are unavailable at the private hospital.

A key challenge within my diabetes community is that people, including healthcare providers, don’t have sufficient knowledge about symptoms or understand that diabetes could happen to anyone, despite age, gender or social status.

Another challenge is that Indonesia consists of 17,000 islands, complicating access to healthcare facilities, laboratory works, specialists and medicines. Traveling by boat to reach the nearest pharmacy for diabetes supplies or traveling by plane to meet with a specialist in the city is common practice.

The community plays an important role in providing information and working together to reduce these barriers.

Through national insurance, the government covers doctor consultations, laboratory works and medicines.

However, Indonesians still face difficulties in managing diabetes, like glucose strips not being covered by the government. People living with multiple NCDs must visit different hospitals to see the appropriate specialist, which often creates treatment challenges since there are some medicines that may conflict with different conditions; for example, some asthma medicine contains steroids, which affect blood sugar for people living with diabetes.

Coordination among doctors is therefore crucial to improve quality of life for people living with multiple NCDs.

Challenges in Indonesia include poor diabetes awareness and lack of access to healthcare for people living with NCDs.

I call on the government to:

1. Raise awareness of NCDs through education and training programs. Few Indonesians understand the symptoms of diabetes or that it can affect anyone, despite age, gender or social status.
2. Train healthcare professionals to improve NCD treatment, management, and use of technology, especially within provinces beyond Java.
3. Strengthen the reach of civil society to account for gaps in the health system. This is necessary due to Indonesia's geographic condition and limited number of NCD specialists.