Govt working to ensure normal lives for children with type 1 diabetes

The Health Ministry has increased efforts to ensure that children who are living with Type 1 diabetes will be able to live normal lives.
This is according to Director, Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr. Lachmie Lall, who revealed that the government is committed towards ensuring children who live with the disease live normal lives.
She was at the time delivering remarks at the second annual Farm Day activity for youngsters from across Guyana, who are living with Type 1 diabetes.
The group of young people on Friday gathered at the Guyana School of Agriculture for the Health Ministry’s Chronic Disease Unit and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA).

“We want you to know that just because you’re diagnosed with type 1 diabetes life doesn’t just have to be about taking insulin and watching what you eat. You can also have some fun. The ministry of health is dedicated to ensuring that that happens, that our type 1 children have full access to education and full access to all of the medication and the needs that they need to have,” the director stated.
The director also noted that the Farm Day activity serves as a reinforcement of information that might have been forgotten.
“Today is an opportunity to reinforce education on how and when to take your insulin and when to test during the day, as we know that much of this information is sometimes forgotten or lost in the hectic schedules of parents,” she said.
Also speaking at the event was head of the Guyana Diabetic Association (GDA), Glynis Beaton, who has been a diabetic for 37 years. Beaton explained that whilst living with diabetes might not be easy, children will have to learn how to cope with the struggles of the disease.
“Living with diabetes is not easy, there are going to be days, when your children will be fed-up with diabetes, those days happen, I lived some of those days. I just said I lived 37 years with diabetes for those who are five and six you have more years to live with it and you have to learn to live with it” she explained.

Additionally, she revealed that in an effort to better support children living with the disease, talks are currently underway with a private medical institution to provide testing for them.
“The Guyana Diabetic Association supports children living with type 1 and so we are now in negotiation with a Diamond hospital, private where all the children can visit and get their full checkup and everything done” she stated.
Additionally Chief Medical Officer (ag), Dr. Jeetendra Mohanlall, warned parents about the inappropriate use of antibiotics to treat diabetes.
“Having diabetes, you’re prone to different infections, and as such, parents, I would like to caution you not to experiment with antibiotics because if misused, they can lead to resistance,” he stated.
Dr. Mohanlall encouraged parents to utilise the Government of Guyana’s eye testing and spectacles vouchers to get their children’s eyes tested early as diabetes can lead to a series of eye ailments.
He stressed that early screening will not only offer correction to refractive errors but also will aid in detecting eye diseases and other ailments.
The event, which took place at the GSA’s Auditorium in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara, had approximately 150 participants from various regions across Guyana engaging in tours at both the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). The Ministry also used the occasion to raise awareness, provide education on managing Type 1 diabetes, and distribute vouchers for the eye testing programme.
Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition. In this condition, the pancreas makes little or no insulin. Even after a lot of research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment is directed toward managing the amount of sugar in the blood using insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications. The Farm Day aligns with the Ministry’s goal of encouraging persons to live a healthier lifestyle.