Health Minister Chris Fearne today announced that this year all diabetic patients who have access to the yellow card for chronic illness will benefit from free glucose sticks and glucose meters.
Addressing a press conference, Fearne said 30,000 patients will be eligible for this scheme for a total of about 16 million sticks per year. This will come at an investment of about €1 million per year but will see benefits for the individual patient who will have better monitoring of their sugar levels and will also see less expenditure by the national health service due to fewer complications from diabetes.
The national plan for diabetes was originally launched in 2016 and covers a period of five years. Fearne declared that the main aim of this plan is to provide patients with measures so they could monitor for themselves their blood sugar levels. The plan initially included glucose sticks andmeters for children suffering from type 1 diabetes. Last year glucose sticks and meters were provided for all type 1 diabetic patients and eventually included all type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients requiring insulin.
Between yesterday and the beginning of next week the scheme will be rolled out to all diabetic patients in Marsa, Hamrun and Valletta. The patients will receive a letter which they can then present to their doctor who will give them a prescription to get their glucose sticks and meters from a Pharmacy Of Your Choice (POYC). Next month the scheme will be launched in Cottenera, Fgura, Zabbar and Zebbug and by the end of the year all patients will have access to the glucose sticks and meter.
During the press conference, Fearne pointed out that diabetes affects between 10% to 12% of the population. He said that one of the main problems with diabetes is the complications that arise from this disease which may affect the eyes, kidneys and blood circulation. He highlighted how important it is that patients monitor and keep control of their blood sugar levels.