The establishment of South Africa’s national diabetes dashboard signals a major step forward in tackling one of the country’s leading causes of death, writes Dr Patrick Ngassa Piotie in Health-e News.
The National Diabetes (HbA1c) Dashboard was developed by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Health, National Priority Programmes and the Wits Diagnostic Innovation Hub (DIH).
Piotie writes:
A few years ago, during the implementation of the Tshwane Insulin Project, we encountered a troubling reality. Across our primary healthcare facilities, we saw diabetic patients presenting with dangerously high HbA1c levels, a clear indicator of suboptimal management and a high risk of life-threatening complications.
Yet, too often, these patients were not receiving the care they needed.
It wasn’t because our healthcare workers didn’t care. It wasn’t because we lacked clinical guidelines. It was because the system simply couldn’t “see” them.
Patient records were paper-based. Data were fragmented. There was no systematic way to identify, track and prioritise the individuals who needed urgent intervention. In many ways, these patients were invisible.
This is why the recent announcement is so important. For the first time, South Africa has a near-real-time, nationwide view of diabetes control, with laboratory data refreshed within 48 hours.
This is not just a technological upgrade: it is a fundamental shift in how we deliver public healthcare.
Moving from hindsight to foresight
Until now, diabetes data management in the public sector has been largely reactive, dependent on monthly Excel reports that required manual analysis and delayed distribution.
By the time a patient was flagged for poor control, the opportunity for early intervention had often passed.
The new dashboard changes the equation. By leveraging NHLS laboratory data to provide a live view of diabetes control, it allows us to transition from reactive care to proactive population health management.
Clinicians and programme managers can now identify high-risk patients earlier, monitor trends across districts and provinces, and intervene rapidly to prevent long-term complications.
Why this matters now
This development arrives at a critical juncture. Diabetes is now a leading cause of death in South Africa, placing a devastating burden on individuals, families and our health system.
Two weeks ago, civil society organisations, alongside people with diabetes, issued the Johannesburg Declaration for Accelerated Action on Diabetes in South Africa. A core pillar of that declaration was the urgent need for a digital surveillance system to strengthen accountability.
Data is not the solution, action is
While this dashboard is a major leap forward, we must be clear-eyed: data alone do not change clinical outcomes, action does. For this tool to be effective, we need to bridge the gap between digital insights and bedside care.
This requires:
Integrated training: Healthcare providers must be empowered to interpret and act on this data immediately.
Operational pathways: We need clear clinical protocols so that identifying a high-risk patient triggers an immediate, supported intervention.
Systemic support: This must include the integration of point-of-care testing to ensure that data gaps at the facility level are closed.
A role for partnership
The success of this initiative will be defined by how we collaborate. The Diabetes Alliance stands ready to support the NHLS and health authorities in promoting the uptake of this tool, strengthening the training of our frontline workers and ensuring that the voices of people living with diabetes remain at the centre of this implementation.
South Africa has finally taken an important step forward. For too long, people with diabetes have been lost in the system, diagnosed but not followed up, treated but not “controlled”, present but unseen.
This dashboard provides the tools to change that reality. The opportunity before us is immense, the need is urgent, and the time to move from data to action is now.
Transformative
NHLS CEO Professor Koleka Mlisana said the dashboard “comes amid growing calls from civil society for urgent, co-ordinated action to address diabetes, now widely recognised as a national health crisis”.
“For the first time, the dashboard provides a near-real-time, nationwide view of diabetes control, and using NHLS laboratory data refreshed within 48 hours, clinicians and programme managers can identify high-risk patients earlier, monitor and control, and intervene more rapidly to prevent complications.”
Beyond clinical care, the dashboard strengthens accountability and system performance, said Mlisana, allowing health authorities to monitor trends across provinces and target interventions where they are most needed
“This innovation positions the NHLS as a key partner in building a coordinated, data-driven, evidence-based national response to diabetes.”
It also supports the National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (2022–2027), with a target to ensure that 50% of diabetics on treatment achieve control.
The dashboard is accessible to healthcare practitioners across South Africa, making sure those on the frontlines of care have the tools they need to respond effectively and efficiently.
Piotie is a Senior Programme Manager at the University of Pretoria Diabetes Research Centre and Chairperson of the Diabetes Alliance
Health-e News article – Why South Africa’s New Diabetes Dashboard Matters (Creative Commons Licence)
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