THE Tanzania Diabetes Youth Alliance (TDYA) has come up with special bracelets for medical alert for children and youth living with Type1 Diabetes, aimed at avoiding premature deaths in Tanzania.
The TDYA Chairperson, Mr George Kwayu, revealed this in Dar es Salaam on Thursday when interviewed about their efforts in helping children and youth living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).
He said they came up with the bracelets which are designed exclusively for the Tanzanian children and youth living with T1DM.
According to medical experts, Type1 Diabetes is a life-long, non-communicable disease (NCD) which one’s body cannot regulate its own blood sugar levels, after the failure of the pancreas to produce insulin.
“As alliance, our focus to help children and youth to stay alive since they depend on daily multiple insulin injections. So, by wearing medical alerts (bracelets) we will avoid premature deaths due to short and long term Type 1 Diabetes complications,” said MrKwayu, who is also living with T1DM.
He explained that the purpose of the bracelets is to provide emergency information about Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and that will be an effective identification of patient, through which anyone can quickly recognize and offer immediate help by calling the free emergency call number inscribed on the bracelet.
“The bracelets will have information on Type 1 Diabetes, free emergency call number and name of the young person. The key health care personnel are linked from the call centre which the calls can be directed to, and the caller will get immediate advice,” said MrKwayu.
“The bracelets will suggestively increase awareness and understanding within society on the existence of Type1 Diabetes Mellitus in children and youth, hence eradicate ignorance, wrong beliefs and notions about the disease,” he added.
Elaborating the picture of the medical alerts, Vice Chairperson of TDYA, DrAnicethMuchunguzi said, the bracelets are made of stainless steel and elastic silicone band, with silver colour engraved by black with red medical symbol.
He explained that currently there are more than 4,000 children and youth living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Tanzania with 38 diabetes clinics all over the country, but the number is rising annually while the few bracelets they have will be distributed country wide, calling upon Tanzanian to help getting more bracelets.
DrMuchunguzi noted that, the problem is mostly diagnosed during early childhood to adolescence.
“The bracelet comes into action when at some point it may come, there is no family member or friend who understands and the patient needs to call for medical help immediately, so anyone around can read the important information and dial the free emergency number,” he stated.