Introduction of CGM as part of NHS a promise Minister Fearne must work on – Claudette Buttigieg
The introduction of Constant Glucose Monitors (CGM) as part of the National Health Services is a promise which Health Minister Chris Fearne promised by the end of this legislation and which must be kept, PN MP Claudette Buttigieg said yesterday.
Buttigieg, who is also Deputy Speaker, has been appointed as the first Regional Leader for Europe of the Parliamentary Diabetes Global Network (PDGN).
The PDGN was founded in 2013 with the primary mission of enabling Parliamentarians around the world to make a positive political impact on the prevention, early detection and treatment of diabetes.
In 2017, there were 42,300 adult cases of diabetes in Malta and, according to the International Diabetes Federation, 170 Maltese children and adolescents had type 1 diabetes in 2017.
According to IDF, there are more than 58 million people with diabetes in the European region. The Malta Independent contacted Buttigieg regarding her new role as Regional Leader and her plans.
As regional leader, what does your role include? And how will you highlight fellow European Parliamentarians to act on diabetes?
This is a completely new role within the restructuring of PDGN. My role is to encourage MPs to join PDGN and start working on diabetes in a cross party manner within their respective Parliaments. I will do this by writing directly to MPs and when possible through face to face meetings.
As a parent of a daughter with diabetes, in your opinion what more can be done for youths who have diabetes?
I am honoured and privileged to take on this new role. Clearly I am inspired by my daughter but I intend to make a difference in the lives of over 10 per cent of our population. Currently there is a huge discrepancy in the treatment for Diabetes across the world. Today there are advanced Constant Glucose Monitors (CGM) which gives our children more liberty and independence. Governments need to understand that advanced technology is an investment not an expense because they help to monitor and control the levels of sugar in the blood. Better control means less complications and comorbidities in life such as kidney failure and amputations.
How does Malta stand in regards to diabetes management for both adults and youths, especially when looking at the Strategy for Diabetes 2016-2020?
The Malta Diabetes Strategy was launched with a strong contribution by the then informal cross party Diabetes Parliamentary Working Group, set up by Simon Busuttil in the previous legislature.
On my initiative, we now have a permanent subcommittee as part of Parliament’s Health Committee. In the coming months, I think we should go through the strategy and scrutinise what work has been done to date and what needs to be done. Screening for Diabetes is definitely an essential part of the strategy and we need to see what has been done so far.
The introduction of CGM as part of the NHS is definitely a promise which Minister Chris Fearne promised by the end of this legislation. We need to make sure this promise is kept and delivery.