Diabetic girl has to Wait Three Years for Crucial Kit

Tue, 13 Apr 2010
The family of a 4 year old diabetic girl has been informed that she will have to wait three years for a crucial insulin pump which her parents state is the safest way to manage her diabetes .

The insufficient supply of this equipment for diabetic children has been called a national scandal by a leading charity .

Amalia Holman, from Linlithgow, West Lothian, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in January last year.

She has since been dependent on her parents for the administration of essential insulin injections via syringe to maintain her blood glucose levels.

Her parents assert that this manual attempt at stabilising Amalia’s condition has been unsuccessful and that they fear she may die should the situation continue.

According to her parents, an insulin pump, clipped on to Amalia’s clothing, delivering insulin to her via a tube, could be the best way to treat her.

However, their local health board, NHS Lothian, has said that Amalia is going to have to wait up to three years for an NHS insulin pump as they do not have adequate staff to meet demands to train parents in the use of the equipment.

Although her parents have found a pump company willing to give them free training, this move has got caught up in NHS bureaucracy.

At present 27,000 Scots with Type 1 diabetes, 900 of them aged 18 or under.

In addition, the number of people being diagnosed every year with diabetes is going up by around 1.5 per cent. Therefore, Scotland has the third highest rates of Type 1 diabetes amongst children worldwide.

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