China to set up more metabolic management centers to better treat diabetes

More hospitals in China are going to set up National Metabolic Management Centers (MMC) in their exploration of a new model of diabetes treatment, according to a national metabolic disease clinical research center.

An association of metabolic management centers along the Yangtze River Delta was established Wednesday, one day ahead of World Diabetes Day. Over 200 MMCs will be set up in the delta region to provide more convenient and standardized treatment for diabetes patients. So far, a total of 343 hospitals in China have such centers.

The MMC, initiated by Ning Guang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a diabetes specialist, aims to provide one-stop diagnosis and treatment to help lower the occurrence rate of diabetes and its complications.

Patients can also upload data of their blood glucose, blood pressure and heart rate to an intelligent network platform to access online services.

The number of diabetes patients in China has reached 114 million, but the degree of care and treatment standards still fall short. "The MMC is expected to provide more convenient and efficient treatment of diabetes through a high degree of standardization," said Ning.

Statistics show that MMCs across the country have provided services for more than 200,000 patients over the last two years.