Slovenia’s breakthroughs in the fight against diabetes

This year’s National Diabetes Conference in Slovenia placed a strong spotlight on JACARDI and the country’s three national pilot projects addressing diabetes. These initiatives are designed to:

• Identify individuals with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes or intermediate hyperglycemia, especially among vulnerable groups who rarely access preventive services.
  
• Increase participation in primary-care education programs among people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or intermediate hyperglycemia.
  
• Boost attendance in the national diabetic retinopathy screening program, a crucial step in preventing diabetes-related blindness.

Slovenia is well aware of its key challenges in diabetes care and is actively addressing them through the nearly complete CARE4DIABETES project and its ongoing work within JACARDI. Both efforts are fully aligned with the country’s National Diabetes Plan, ensuring that strategic intent is translated into concrete action.

Why JACARDI matters for Slovenia

In an interview conducted during the conference, Dr Jelka Zaletel (NIJZ Slovenia) explained why JACARDI is uniquely important for the country. Slovenia knows its main barriers in managing the diabetes burden: many individuals with type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed; those who would benefit most from preventive visits or early detection often do not enter the healthcare system; and attendance in primary-care education programs remains lower than expected.

The JACARDI pilot projects help tackle these issues head-on:

• Pilot 1: Developing new, community-based approaches to reach people unlikely to attend preventive check-ups.
  
• Pilot 2: Understanding and addressing why individuals with type 2 diabetes do not participate in primary-care education programs—and redesigning these programs accordingly.
  
• Pilot 3: Improving uptake of the national diabetic retinopathy screening program. Although 30,000 people currently attend screenings, an estimated 150,000 Slovenians live with diabetes. JACARDI helps uncover where the gaps lie and how to close them.
  

A fourth pilot: Strengthening cardiovascular care

These efforts are embedded in Slovenia’s National Diabetes Plan, supported by clear action plans. The National Diabetes Conference, held every November, is one such action, providing an annual moment to share progress and results from JACARDI.

Slovenia is also implementing a fourth JACARDI pilot project focused on cardiovascular health. It aims to harmonize approaches across rehabilitation centers treating patients after acute coronary events—an area where attendance is also suboptimal. This work aligns with the Ministry of Health’s decision to develop a National Strategy for Cardiovascular Health, reinforcing how JACARDI can support strategic planning beyond diabetes.

Relive the Conference

A mood video from the event captures the atmosphere at the venue. Although only speakers and roundtable participants were physically present, the online turnout was impressive, with more than 170 remote attendees.

You can also watch the full interview with Dr Jelka Zaletel, where she explores in more depth how Slovenia leverages JACARDI to address long-standing gaps in diabetes and cardiovascular care.