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Diabetes cases rising in Uzbekistan
– Reported, May 24, 2013
The Uzbek government is legally required to pay for the treatment of several illnesses, including diabetes, but many patients complain that clinics often deny free treatment or tell them the necessary drugs are out of stock.
People are reluctant to request medical assistance, hoping they will be able to cope with their illness somehow or other. Government is trying to do their best to explain to them how serious the situation is.Those who can afford it purchase the required quantities by themselves, and the rest simply risk their health or even their lives by cutting the dose.
Unfortunately, we must acknowledge the healthcare system we have is imperfect, said Usmir Sultanov, a political scientist and former assistant professor at the Medical Institute of Tashkent. The Healthcare Law guaranteeing accessible medical services to all is not truly enforced.
Sayora Baurova, a senior Health Ministry Collegium specialist, said the government is aware of the problem. Weve repeatedly been told that drug distribution centres and some clinics often withhold government-supplied medicines to re-sell them for a profit later.
Abusers will be fired, and additional consignments of medicines will be directed to wherever they are found in short supply. Afflicted persons are invited to e-mail their complaints and questions to our website, she said.
Prof. Sayid Ismailov, director of the republics Endocrinology Centre, said about 118,000 diabetes patients are registered nationwide, but many more diabetics are unregistered or undiagnosed.
Quite often, first-time diagnosed patients already show two or more complications, such as heart attacks, strokes and other serious ailments. Meanwhile, to detect diabetes, one needs only to have ones blood tested for glucose for free at any family clinic.
Ignorance is a major obstacle in the fight against the disease.
On World Diabetes Day, November 14, endocrinology in-patient treatment wards and the Tashkent Endocrinology Centre tested many for diabetes.
Valekh Sariyev, 40, said his fathers death by diabetes opened his eyes to his health. My test showed my glucose level is slightly above the norm, so Ill be watching it carefully, he said. Id rather keep an eye on my blood sugar now than spend weeks in hospital afterward.
A ten-day course of treatment in an in-patient clinic costs on average 500,000 (US $306) to 1m UZS (US $612), and an operation 1m UZS and more, Endocrinology Centre physician Sayora Gadayeva said.
Finding this unaffordable, many diabetics turn to private healers who promise them a cure.
Programmes should focus on diet, blood tests, care.
The importance of improving educational programmes for diabetics and their families. Many patients refuse to control their blood glucose even after diagnosis.
Failure to select the right food results in jumps in blood sugar levels for diabetes patients. Besides, many neglect self-control, preferring not to notice their illness or pretend they are healthy.
After the November campaign, Baurova said, the ministry is planning measures such as encouraging the public to get blood tests and consult a doctor on how to manage the disease if diagnosed.
Another form of help is that welfare payments, including pensions and sickness benefits, have already increased 25% this year and will grow further next year, Navbakhor Ilgorova of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection said.
CREDITS.
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