Impacting lives of people with diabetes: lessons learnt in India may be applicable to other low- and middle-income countries – published online 23/06/2026

Viswanathan Mohan

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) account for 80% of the global diabetes burden. There are 101 million people living with diabetes in India, which presents significant challenges with respect to diabetes healthcare delivery. In this review, Viswanathan Mohan (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-026-06776-5) provides an overview of over four decades of work in India, which has demonstrated the value of low-cost technology, mobile health and telehealth, and use of generic medicines in addressing these challenges. Capacity building by training of physicians, nurses and diabetes educators in basic diabetes care has formed an essential part of this success story. The author highlights how research on the heterogeneity of diabetes and its aetiopathological factors can also aid in the development of locally relevant policies for both prevention and management of diabetes. The author concludes that some lessons from India may be applicable to other LMICs, with appropriate adaptation to local contexts. The figures from this review are available as a downloadable slideset.

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