Insulin shortage linked to increased number of diabetic cases

Apr 12, 2017 News

A reported shortage of insulin may not be far-fetched. This is in light of reports that the number

President of the Guyana Diabetic Association, Ms. Alonzo-Beaton.

of diabetic cases are ever increasing. This disclosure was yesterday made by President of the Guyana Diabetic Association, Ms. Glynis Alonzo-Beaton, during an interview with this publication.
“The number of cases is growing so I can understand if there is a drug shortage for insulin because the numbers out there as against what might have been budgeted for. With the new cases on board there are more problems so there is need for a lot more intervention,” said Alonzo-Beaton.
Although Alonzo-Beaton was not in a position to share the actual figures in terms of cases, she did reveal that the existing situation will require an increase in the efforts to raise awareness when it comes to diabetes.
She is optimistic that the Ministry of Public Health will be willing to soon share the actual figures linked to the disease through its Steps Survey.
Diabetes, often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus, describes a group of metabolic diseases in which the person has high blood glucose [blood sugar], either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both.
As part of its efforts to combat the disease, Alonzo-Beaton said that the Association is currently working towards bringing into being an initiative being dubbed – Marketplace Testing. The Association, she noted, will be looking for support from the Pan American Health Organisation and the Ministry of Public Health’s Chronic Diseases Unit.
“As soon as the support is approved we will be able to launch that Marketplace Testing…It will help to bring more awareness and we really have to bring a great deal more of awareness to the public,” said Alonzo-Beaton as she considered the fact that the numbers of diabetic cases are soaring.
In expanding its efforts, the Association has being doing outreach work in Linden, Essequibo, Canal Number Two Polder on the West Bank of Demerara. “We have seen the numbers are growing…In Linden we tested 164 persons and five percent of them were new cases…these were persons who never know they had diabetes and, among them were two children;, this was on January 20 alone,” said Alonzo-Beaton.
And then an outreach at Canal Number Two, she revealed, it was found that of a 104 persons who were tested 45 percent were diabetics. “Out of that 45 percent another seven percent didn’t even know that they had diabetes,” said Alonzo-Beaton.
According to her, “I am not telling you about people who are at-risk, I am telling you who have numbers 400 and up…We didn’t deal with those who are at-risk; that is why we are fine-tuning our Marketplace Testing so that we can work with the at-risk patients and help to bring down the numbers.”
The Association, she pointed out, has been working with a number of organisations, including pharmacies, to take diabetes awareness to the public. The Association has collaborated with the Guyana Pharmaceutical Association and has had a long standing association with Ansa McAl in this regard.
According to Alonzo-Beaton, who has been a diabetic for more than 20 years, part of the effort to tackle the disease, is to help persons with diabetes to control their eating habits. “I am a diabetic for 26 years so I can tell you to be compliant, to be adherent is not an easy task. Controlling diabetes has to do with exercise and diet, and food. Once it is designed and dressed nicely, nobody will refuse it,” considered Alonzo-Beaton.
She noted that moves are focused on helping diabetics to control their [food] portions. “It is better to work with diabetics on their portions and what they have within their means than to simply tell them what to do,” Alonzo-Beaton asserted.