Comprehensive diabetic care facility to be established
− one stop centre needed
– Minister Anthony
Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says Government has a dedicated plan for the management of diabetes, which includes the establishment of a comprehensive diabetic care facility.
Minister Anthony made this statement during Friday’s COVID-19 update.
“One of the new features this year that we will be working on is to develop a one stop centre, where a diabetic patient can come in and once you come there, you will be seen by a doctor, you can be seen by a nutritionist who gives you advice on your diet, you have to get check-up for your eyes, there will be a place there that you can get those services.
“There will be a place there that would check your feet to make sure that you don’t have ulcers or ulcerations, so, basically, all the things that you would need,” he said.
Medications for diabetic patients would also be available at the centre, he added.
Minister Anthony said as the Government improves the quality of care being offered, he is hopeful that persons suffering from this disease access the services.
“So, it is not just a fragmented care where you get some medicines you drink them and you ignore your nutrition or you don’t understand fully, how to manage your diabetes. You will get diabetic education, you will get the information pertaining to your diet and nutrition, all of that will be available in that one space.
So literally, you can move from room to room, and be educated about your illness and how to better manage it,” he said.
Minister Anthony said he is confident that this model will work because it has worked in other parts of the world.
“Those who have implemented this module and utilise it, we have seen that they have been able to have better control over their diabetic patients. We’ve seen the glucose levels go down, people have less complications and so forth,” he said.
Minister Anthony said there is an allocation in the budget for the centre and hopefully, by year end, with the facilities in place, the programme could begin by the next year. The World Diabetes Foundation says type 2 diabetes is “a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high.” Guyanese are severely impacted by this disease.