The aim of this study was to estimate the contribution by type 2 diabetic patients in a low-income country from their own income in attempting to control the disease and to prevent chronic diabetes complications through good glycaemic control. Socio-economic and demographic data for study subjects were obtained from 822 adult diabetic patients attending public or private diabetic clinics in Khartoum State, Sudan. The average annual income of diabetic patients was estimated as USD 1.923. The direct cost of diabetes control was USD 175 per year. This included cost of drugs and ambulatory care, although drug supply was insufficient for 52% of the patients. Glycosylated hemoglobin as a measure of glycaemic control was determined to be unsatisfactory in 77% of patients. This gives an immediate indication that current practices in diabetes control in urban Sudan are not cost-effective. Patients attending private clinics had a higher income and cost of diabetes control than those attending public clinics. However, both groups had similar proportion of poor glycaemic control, which reflects the insufficient care given to diabetic patients, mainly due to deficient resources and inefficient utilization of what is scarcely available.

The high economic burden and adverse social effects on people with diabetes and their families in Sudan call for the development of evidence-based policy and program strategies for the prevention and management of diabetes, with an emphasis on low-resource communities.

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