*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
