Diabetic patients’ appeal for glucose monitors that waive the need to draw blood several times a day will be upheld by the government during the current tenure, the Health Ministry has said.
The patients’ call is being backed by Nationalist MEP Francis Zammit Dimech who urged Health Minister Chris Fearne to explore the possibility of providing affordable continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).
These involve inserting a small sensor under the skin, which measures blood sugar levels constantly. CGMs record spikes and drops exactly as they happen, allowing patients to know what they were doing at these times and plan against it in the future, noted one reader, who finds it inconvenient to constantly check his blood in less than hygienic circumstances because of the nature of his job.
In a letter to Mr Fearne, Dr Zammit Dimech commended government initiatives to decrease the impact of this condition on patients, but flagged an issue raised by several, including parents of children with Type 1 diabetes.
“A mother told me that the skin on her son’s finger is so hard that she struggles to get the blood out, and that her son cries because of the pain.
“Several parents have re-marked that the struggle to extract blood as a result of having to be pricked many times a day can be easily waived if Type 1 diabetics are equipped with glucose monitors that would give better care and results.”
In comments to this newspaper, Dr Zammit Dimech welcomed Mr Fearne’s announcement that all diabetic patients will benefit from free glucose sticks and meters, but reiterated his appeal.
“If this government finds thousands of euros to spend on campaigning as recently revealed, and to put Labour MPs on the government payroll, why can’t it find money to support those suffering from Type 1 diabetes?” he asked.
Simon Busuttil, who had also followed the fight against diabetes as MEP and MP, said that an informal Diabetes Working Group in Parliament, chaired by Godfrey Farrugia, has not yet been reconstituted since the last election.
This group allowed MPs to meet stakeholders on an ongoing basis. It had pressed for a national strategy on diabetes and full availability of public health services to diabetics, including access to free and user friendly glucose monitoring services, he said, adding that Mr Fearne’s announcement was good news.
A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry told the Times of Malta that CGMs, which featured in the government’s electoral manifesto, will “eventually be introduced”. Labour, last year, promised it would be introducing the gadgets for free. The spokeswoman said improvements in diabetic services are proceeding according to a five-year national strategy launched in 2015.
Around 14,000 patients already receive free glucose strips, and an additional 16,000 will start benefitting from the service this year.
Additionally, some 1,500 patients are benefiting from the introduction of new hypo-glycaemic medicines into the government formulary.