Diabetes Sufferers in Indonesia to Remain High in 2026, Approach to Management Deemed in Need of Evaluation
Indonesia is said to still rank fifth in the world for the highest number of diabetes sufferers in 2026. The figure reaches tens of millions of people based on data from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
For this reason, the approach to managing type 2 diabetes in Indonesia is deemed in need of evaluation. This was stated by a doctor and developer of an integrated health ecosystem, Kelvin Candiago, coinciding with National Diabetes Day on 18 April.
According to him, this condition is felt to be a serious alarm for the national health system. He highlighted that management has so far been dominated by a medicine-centric approach, which focuses more on the use of medication.
Drawing from personal experience accompanying his father who suffered from diabetes with heart complications, as well as his clinical practice treating thousands of patients, Kelvin sees that controlling blood sugar alone is not enough without improving the body’s systems and lifestyle.
“The medicine-centric approach is very important for initial stabilisation, but by design, it is not aimed at long-term lifestyle improvement. In sustainable diabetes management, medication should be positioned as a bridge, not the end goal,” he said, quoted on Saturday, 18 April 2026.
He emphasised that this approach needs to be complemented with more comprehensive strategies. “We need a structured combination of medication, nutrition, and monitoring,” he said.
As a solution, Kelvin introduces a methodological framework called the 3R Protocol for managing type 2 diabetes. This method consists of three main stages: Road to Rescue (rescue), Road to Reverse (reversal), and Road to Remission (remission).
The first stage focuses on quickly stabilising fluctuating blood sugar levels. Next, the second stage emphasises improving the body’s metabolic condition through lifestyle changes and measured clinical interventions, with the target of reducing HbA1c levels to normal.
Meanwhile, the final stage is the phase where patients can maintain HbA1c levels at or below 6.5 percent for a certain period, with or without medication.
This protocol is said to have been implemented through an integrated health services ecosystem, mGanik. Based on internal data since 2023, around 500 diabetes patients have reached the reverse stage through this approach.