Hospital gets machine to support diabetes fight

Highlands

THE Chimbu administration has donated a diabetic determiner to the Joseph Nombri Memorial Hospital in Kundiawa last Friday.
Principal health adviser Margaret Kaile, on behalf of the administration and provincial health division, presented the HBA1c analyser, a very sensitive device to monitor and assess the average sugar level, to the hospital’s chief executive Dr Harry Poka and medical staff of the hospital.
The hospital’s acting director for medical services Dr Cassius Maingu explained that the HBA1c analyser was used to monitor the average sugar level of individuals.
He said the equipment would help them detect and control lifestyle diseases such as diabetes which was killing a lot of people.
“In terms of diabetes diagnosis, management and care, glucometers are used in the hospital and also by patients for their own self-management at home,” Maingu said.
“However, glucometers measure short term glucose profiles whereas the HBA1c analyser assesses sugar control over a longer period.
“By doing so, management with regards to medication, dieting and physical activity are better guided by testing for HBA1c rather than using the blood sugar levels obtained by glucometers.”
It is highly recommended by authorities like World Health Organisation, American Diabetic Association, and International Diabetic Federation to have this machine to monitor patients’ glucose profiles
The machine, which cost more than K16,000, can also be used for diagnosis of diabetes.
However, its use for resource constrained settings, such as in the country’s public hospitals, is often limited, due to the associated high costs in procuring the machine and its reagents.
Maingu said the hospital is fortunate to have the Simbu government on their side and its continued support in programmes like HIV/AIDS and TB showed that health of the people was a priority concern.
Kaile said the provincial administration, led by administrator Joe Kunda Naur, was committed to continuing its support for district health services and hospitals for their commitment and loyalty in providing
health services to the people.