*ToLetters to the Editors Column.*

*Diabetes Epidemic to Strike Goa*



*The Govt.'s withdrawal of diabetes medications at Primary Health Centres
(PHC) will lead to a spate of deaths.*If malaria or dengue or encephalitis
or any other contagious disease were to hit Goa then everybody would be
alarmed. But when an epidemic of Diabetes is threatening Goa, the Health
Dept, headed by Dy. CM Francis D'Souza and the Finance Dept which pays for
the Health Dept. headed by CM Laxmikant Parsekar is refusing to pay for the
medicines. He is thus creating an artificial shortage of public subsidized
medications that only helps private pharmaceuticals.

Everyone is aware that Diabetes is a slow but silent killer and that when
uncontrolled it affects many major organs, including your heart, blood
vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys.

If the right medications are taken in time diabetes can be controlled.
Glimepiride and Metformin are the standard medications prescribed for Type
2 diabetes at the Government Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Goa. Till
recently they were dispensed free to patients and this has saved countless
many lives of patients.

However for the last several months Government Primary Health Centres (PHC)
have stopped supplying these medicines to patients. The PHCs plead that the
supply of these medicines has been stopped by the Government.

On inquiry it is found that the Finance Dept controlled by CM Laxmikant
Parsekar has not been signing the cheques to requisition these medicines
for Health Dept. run  PHCs. This is one of the most cruel decisions of CM
Parsekar because it is the poor who are the most affected by this decision.
Having to buy these medicines is a huge drain on their resources and many
have stopped the medication as they simply don't have the money.

If the supply of these medicines is not resumed then the number of deaths
by apparently natural causes such as high blood pressure, strokes, heart
attacks, blindness, amputation of limbs and gangrene, kidney failure are
going to increase. The direct reason for these diseases is that diabetes
was not controlled mainly because people did not have the means to purchase
the neccesary medicines.

When are the people going to wake up and force the government to resume the
supply of these medications to the people? Is the government knowingly
going to allow the health of its citizens to deteriorate?

Augusto Pinto
Novo Portugal,
Moira Bardez Goa

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