Availability, price and affordability of insulin, delivery devices and self-monitoring blood glucose devices in Indonesia

Insulin is essential for the survival of people with type 1 diabetes and for better management of people with type 2 diabetes. People with diabetes using insulin also require self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) devices (e.g., meters, strips, continuous monitoring systems) for day-to-day management. It is essential to ensure that insulin and these devices are available and affordable. This study aimed to evaluate the availability, price, and affordability of insulin and SMBG devices in Indonesia using an adaptation of the World Health Organization/Health Action International (WHO/HAI) price survey. A total of 34 public health facilities (hospitals, primary healthcare centres/Puskesmas) and 37 private pharmacies were sampled. Information from three major online marketplaces was also collected. Prices were expressed as median patient prices (US$). Affordability was defined as the number of days' wages needed by the lowest paid unskilled government worker (LPGW) to purchase 30 days' supply of insulin, delivery devices and SMBGs. Availability of analogue insulin was slightly higher in public facilities (63.6%) than in the private sector (43.2%), with no human insulin available in both sectors. Conversely, better availability was observed in private facilities for SMBG devices as public sector facilities did not supply devices for self-testing. Median prices for 1000IU analogues varied between the public sector (US$ 5.26) and the private sector (US$11.24). The highest median price of analogues was seen in online marketplaces (US$ 28.65). The least costly median price of SMBG devices were observed in online platforms (meter: US$ 18.37, test strip: US$ 0.27, lancet: US$ 0.02). A low-income person had to work 2-3 days to buy 1000IU of analogues. It required 5-7 days' and 4-5 day's wages to purchase a meter and a month's supply of test strips, respectively. The availability and affordability of insulin and SMBG devices remain important issues in Indonesia requiring holistic approaches for further improvement.