Children Left Without Life-Saving Medication In Belaraus

The situation is critical.

In Belarus, providing diabetic children with insulin pumps remains a serious problem.

Viktar Valuevich, the chief freelance endocrinologist, reported this. According to him, while more than 50% of patients, including children, use insulin pumps in the USA, only 100-120 children and pregnant women are provided with these devices in Belarus.

At the same time, there are 2,139 children with insulin-dependent diabetes in the country. The Ministry of Health intends to continue work on supplying patients with insulin pumps, according to Minsk-Novosti news agency.

An insulin pump is used after a doctor determines the daily dosage and programs the device.

There are 320 thousand patients with diabetes in Belarus. Each year, 20–22 thousand new patients are added to that amount, Alla Shapelkevich, a professor at the Endocrinology Department at the Belarusian State Medical University, noted.

According to her, 93% of patients have diabetes mellitus of the second type, which occurs most often due to the improper lifestyle. People with obesity, people leading a sedentary lifestyle, overindulging smoking and alcohol are at risk.