COMPANY PARTNERS TO BUILD DIABETES CLINIC FOR CHILDREN IN GHANA

The Sonia Nabeta Foundation, a non-governmental organization, in partnership with Sanford World Clinic (SWC) has established a clinic for Children with Type 1 Diabetes. (T1 D).

The facility dubbed “SNF Clinics at San-ford Health” sought to support the Ministry of Health’s objective of improving access to healthcare for children with the disease.

Services to be provided include consultations with a multidisciplinary team comprised of pediatric endocrinologists, psychologists, dieticians, diabetic nurses, and fellow warrior mentors.

It is also expected to provide free T1D essential medical supplies including insulin, glucometers, and stripes lancets as well as management tests such as full blood count, blue, creative lipid profile urinalysis.

The founder and executive director of the foundation, Ms. Vivian Nabeta, speaking at the ceremony as part of activities marking this year’s World Diabetes Day celebrations said Type 1 diabetes does not have a known cause.

“The discurablenot preventable, it is not cur-able, no amount of exercise is going to reverse type 1 diabetes. It is a condition where the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that producethesulin as such awareness must be the first and most crucial step that we cannot do that without,” she added.

Type 1 diabetes, she explained is buried under a shrouaddingnfusion and misconceptions, adding when you hear “diabetes,” you might think of the disease caused by poor diet, a lack of exercise, and other conscious lifestyle decisions while others say it is not a disease for children and that only old .people get the disease”.

Ms. Nabeta said in children and people with type 1 diabetes, the pancreas cannot produce insulin, so they need externally administered insulin regularly to regulate blood glucose levels to survive and without this insulin, they die.

She stated that people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes face the immense challenge of the burden of care as managing type 1 diabetes is exceptionally expensive it is not as simple as distributing insulin, syringes, and glucometers adding “that is why SNF is here to support the Ministry of Health and its partners to reduce this cost and lessen the burden.”

T.he Chief Medical Officer of SWC, Dr. Kwaku Darkwa, urged the involvement of more stakeholders to ensure the improvement of patient outcomes as well as access to screening services to map out diabetes patience across the country.

He also called for more education on the risk factors, the services available and the types of, support needed by diabetes patience, and the appropriate management needed to make them feel like being part of society.

The La Nkwantanang Madina M.unicipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mrs. Jennifer Dede Ad-jabeng, urged parents of children with diabetes to take good care of them and assured of the assesensitisation to intensify public sensitization to increase awareness.

The Member of Parliament for several NCIS Xavier Sosu, said several bills have been tabled before parliament to ensure that diseases, including diabetes, childhood cancers, and tumors are given the needed attention as well as mental health.

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