I am an 18-year-old student currently studying for a degree. At the age of 10 I was diagnosed as a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. The government provided my insulin.

At first I was using syringes to take the insulin but when my sugar level was well controlled my consultant decided that I should use insulin pens instead. They are more comfortable to use since they are easier to carry and the needle is also smaller, reducing my bruises and making me feel less pain.

Furthermore it is very discreet, and made my life a lot easier. A year ago my consultant changed my insulin to a new type named Lantus and Novorapid as he explained to me that this will ensure better control of my sugar levels.

However, this caused me great inconvenience as I had to return to the old method of using syringes and the number of times I needed to take this insulin increased from twice a day to four injections a day. Using syringes again did not happen because the new type of insulin cannot be administered by pen but simply because the government did not supply such pens.

I, however, was advised that this will be for a short period of time until the contract is finalised with the supplier. Regretfully, recently the government started supplying pens for my insulin but only for patients up till 16 years of age.

Therefore, I am still using syringes. At this point, I cannot purchase the insulin because at the moment I am still studying and I do not have the money for it. I think this is unfair to me and all the other diabetics experiencing the same situation. This is discrimination against me even when you realise that the government supplies much more expensive medicine than the one that I am using. Is it time to change this?

A Borg

Mosta