Anyone familiar with diabetes knows two things are vital: regularly checking the level of blood sugar and access to insulin. In Sierra Leone this is a huge challenge. Many patients aren’t aware of having diabetes, and for patients that are diagnosed the necessary tools and medications are usually not available.
Insulin for Life is an initiative to improve the access to insulin for diabetes patients worldwide.
Their volunteers in the Netherlands (Insulin for Life the Netherlands: https://www.insulinforlife.nl/) have enabled LHMC for many years to help diabetes patients get their blood glucose under control and also to help other critically ill patients that have blood sugar disturbances because of acute illnesses such as severe malaria. We recently received two donations from Insulin for Life including lancets, glucosemeters, glucose strips and glucose sensors. These regular donations form a real life line for our patients, and we are very grateful!