More than one in every 10 Maltese is affected by diabetes, and MEPs Therese Comodini Cachia and Marlene Mizzi want to do something about it.

The two MEPs were among a group of 383 who today called on the European Commission and Council to prioritise diabetes as a major concern and develop an EU strategy for its prevention, diagnosis and control.

Diabetes is a European-wide health concern, with 32 million people affected across the EU. Member states spent €114 billion treating the condition in 2013. In 2015, some 266,000 people died of diabetes-related causes in the EU.

Yet, despite the numbers, the EU still lacks a concerted strategy to effectively coordinate diabetes prevention, diagnosis and control measures.

“The gravity of the diabetes pandemic is not fully perceived,” Ms Mizzi said. “It is time to act and prioritise as a major European health, social and economic concern.”

Dr Comodini Cachia, who serves as co-chair of the EU Diabetes Working Group, said that “not only can we make the life of those with diabetes better through relevant and good care, but we can help its prevention."

MEPs want the Council and Commission to encourage member states to develop national diabetes plans as well as an EU-wide strategy to encourage the consumption and production of healthy food.

Malta - which has one of the world's highest rates of diabetes - released a national diabetes strategy in December 2015, with the strategy tackling diabetes from four angles: prevention; updated medicines; screening; and data collection.

As part of the strategy, two diabetes drugs - gliptins and repaglidine - were added to the national health service earlier this month. 

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, or at the very least delayed, by eating healthily and regular exercise. Type 1 diabetes is hereditary, but a healthy lifestyle has been proven to better control it.