A special clinic treating children with diabetes at Limerick Regional Hospital has stopped taking new referrals because it is unable to cope with the numbers attending. Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent, reports.
The move, which has caused serious upset to a number of families, has come about as a result of "an unexpected surge" in the number of children diagnosed with diabetes in the mid west over the past 12 months, the Mid Western Health Board confirmed yesterday.
"The surge in patient numbers has put increasing pressure on one section of the service in particular, the multi-disciplinary paediatric specialist diabetes clinic which meets every six weeks to review cases on a one-stop shop basis," the health board said in a statement to The Irish Times.
It said it was this "one-stop shop" which was now "declining to accept new referrals".
The type of diabetes affecting the children who normally attend this clinic is type I diabetes, which is not related to obesity, according to the Diabetes Federation of Ireland. It is very concerned at the current situation in Limerick.
Its health promotion officer, Ms Anna Clarke, said there were increasing numbers of children presenting with type I diabetes all over the country and she was particularly concerned at the number of under-fives being diagnosed.
There was no definitive reason for the upsurge, she said.
"The fact that people are being diagnosed at such a young age is alarming. The condition is more difficult to control in a very young child," she said.
In 2001, she added, there were 85 children with diabetes attending Limerick Hospital. Last month the figure had reached 120.
While the Diabetes Federation, was also concerned about access to services for children with the condition in the North Eastern Health Board area, diabetes services for children nationwide were generally underdeveloped.
Only in Dublin and Cork have children direct access to a paediatric endocrinologist, Ms Clarke said.
She said the Department of Health now accepted there were difficulties and had set up a national diabetes working group to examine the situation. It will hold its first meeting in the New Year.
The Diabetes Federation of Ireland's helpline number is 1850 909 909.