Association warns of rising cases of diabetes in children

The Rwanda Diabetes Association has asked government to increase the number of personnel in diabetic treatment to boost detection in children, who are among the most affected.Crispin Gishoma, the association’s coordinator, said there is still a challenge with personnel in hospitals who can test and detect diabetes. “We have many children who are sick but many hospitals can’t tell the sickness. I believe if the doctors or other medical personnel are trained to diagnose the disease it will save lives, Gishoma, who was speaking to The New Times, yesterday, said.He also said children with diabetes in the country, like elsewhere in developing countries, lack access to treatment for the Type One diabetes. “Most of the patients can’t afford treatment because it is expensive,” he said.Dr Adolphe Karenzi, from Non-Communicable Disease department in the Ministry of Health, said they are scaling up access to patients but there is no particular package for children apart from the hospitals that have strong foundation where child patients are provided with food and psycho-social support.“Child patients are treated for diabetes and followed up for complications just like adults,” Dr Karenzi said.“We have a plan to increase the number of specialists, not only in diabetes management but also cancer and other chronic diseases.” Awareness driveGishoma said awareness drive is needed not only for health workers, but also the community in general because many children are abandoned by parents who cannot afford treatment, while others cannot understand the disease.“We have taken in many children but we can’t help all of them. When they are referred to us, we give them insulin, syringes, gluco metres and strips,” he said.Florence Uwera, a mother a diabetic child, said the district hospitals failed to detect that her child had diabetes. “The district hospital had to refer me to the University hospital in Butare were they diagnosed my daughter with this condition,” she said.Dr Stephenson Musiime, a pediatrician at King Faisal Hospital, Rwanda, said diabetes in the country has two types; Type 1, which was initially referred to as “Juvenile Diabetes,” result from missing insulin in the body, and Type 2, where the body fails to respond to the insulin present in the body.“In Type 1, the body cells destroy the pancrease, making it fail to produce insulin so a patient depends on artificial insulin,” he said.The Rwanda Diabetes Association says many children in the country are being diagnosed with the disease. The association now helps more than 900 diabetes patients.

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Association warns of rising cases of diabetes in children