Addressing Unmet Needs in the Management of Diabetes in Asia and Enhancing Diabetes Care Through the Use of Digital Technology:

Background: Asia faces a growing diabetes burden compounded by low awareness, limited access, affordability concerns, and heterogeneous care practices. These challenges hinder consistent management across the region. Methodology: An expert panel representing India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia and Austria reviewed regional barriers, compared national practices, and proposed feasible strategies for improvement. Results: Key gaps included healthcare access, affordability, limited workforce capacity, poor adherence to guidelines, cultural influences and underuse of digital tools. Experts examined region-specific approaches, highlighting effective models from Singapore, India, Japan, the Philippines, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea. Discussion: Synthesised insights yielded policy-oriented and practical recommendations, focusing on insurance expansion, digital and AI-enabled care, workforce strengthening, and community-based programs to enhance diabetes care delivery. Conclusion: Tailored, region-specific and technology-enabled strategies addressing systemic and economic barriers are vital to strengthen diabetes management across Asia.