About ALIGN-T1D
To address the deadly disparities in access to comprehensive diabetes care, ALIGN-T1D is leveraging collective investments and actions to ensure quality care is available to all people living with T1D.
Vision
Mission
What ALIGN-T1D Does
ALIGN-T1D is coordinating action across five areas to improve access to comprehensive T1D care:
Strengthening integrated T1D service delivery
Integrating T1D diagnosis, care, and management with broader NCD and primary health care services to increase equity in access to comprehensive care
WHY:
- Access to quality T1D care is limited by a shortage of locally available services and trained health care workers, insufficient supplies of diagnostics and medicines at facilities, and a lack of locally tailored guidelines for T1D and NCD management
- Supporting the development of locally tailored guidelines for T1D, patient education materials, health care worker training across all levels, and integrating T1D services into existing national programs can ensure sustainable access to quality care for all people living with T1D
Ensuring better insulin, monitoring, and other supplies access
Supporting health systems to more accurately determine and secure the amount of insulin and supplies their communities need, ensuring sustainable and affordable access for people living with T1D no matter where they live
WHY:
People living with T1D are reliant on an essential package of quality-assured supplies, including insulin, delivery devices, glucometers and test strips. However, the availability and affordability of even an essential package of T1D supplies remains limited in low- and middle-income countries, while high income countries continue to transition to more modern technologies, like continuous glucose monitors.
Although donation programs have a positive impact, they don’t provide supplies for all people living with T1D and do not offer a sustainable, long-term solution
Supporting sustainable access to affordable diabetes medicines and technology has the potential to restore 20 healthy years of life
Supporting health systems
Ensuring T1D and other NCDs are included in national coordination plans, budgets, financial protection schemes, and data systems to enable sustainable, integrated T1D programs
WHY:
Currently, many health systems in LMICs lack strategic plans and comprehensive data for people living with T1D, which hinder evidence-based care and policymaking
Those gaps coupled with the excessive financial burden caused by limited T1D coverage through national insurance or subsidized care plans or insurance and inefficient supply chains, reduce the health systems’ ability to provide quality care for people living with T1D and other NCDs
Integrating T1D into proven health systems strengthening approaches is key to tackling these challenges
Amplifying the role of T1D communities
Amplify and elevate the role of T1D communities for peer and community education and support, stigma reduction, and strategic advocacy
WHY:
Due to inadequate support, many people living with T1D in low- and middle-income countries do not know what they need to do to manage their condition
Ongoing stigma and misinformation in communities exacerbate this issue and can also lead to discrimination
Community-based organizations offer lifesaving services and peer support, but lack the resources to scale these solutions
Mobilizing stakeholders and funding
Establish a platform to mobilize and convene additional public and private stakeholders and funding towards government- and community-defined T1D and NCD priorities
WHY:
Current funding is not optimized with programs often duplicating work or leaving needs unmet
Comprehensive T1D care needs to be integrated and aligned with broader health system strengthening funding to best address in-country priorities
How ALIGN-T1D Works
To drive these changes, the Alliance will focus on three bodies of work:
Invest in Countries and Communities
To increase the value-for-money and sustainability of investments, ALIGN-T1D will serve as a platform to bring partners together, optimize existing investments, and close gaps. Country-specific priority-setting will be led by government and community representatives.
Enhance access to insulin, monitoring, and other supplies
Building on country-specific investments, ALIGN-T1D is exploring cross-country solutions to improve the availability and affordability of insulin and blood glucose monitoring supplies for people with T1D in low- and middle-income countries. Solutions will address several country-specific and cross-country barriers that limit access and drive-up costs for people with T1D.
Build Momentum for Global T1D Equity
To elevate T1D priorities in national, regional, and global conversations, ALIGN-T1D plans to enhance coordination and collaboration among partners, convene stakeholders around a shared strategy, and mobilize additional funders.
The Way Forward
Providing access to comprehensive care to people living with T1D where it’s most needed
In its first phase, ALIGN-T1D will:
Partner with 3 low- and middle-income countries
Support diagnosis for an estimated 14,000 people living with T1D
Reach 1 million people who use insulin, including 165,000 people living with T1D
Stay tuned for updates on future phases of the Alliance’s multi-year strategy.
Alliance Principles
ALIGN-T1D's work will be underpinned by four core principles:
Locally led, sustainably built
Community and lived experience driven design
Comprehensive, integrated approach
