Rishard Khan
Minister of Health Dr Lackram Bodoe said consideration will be given in the 2025/2026 budget to provide Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) for children with diabetes.
It comes from a push by the Diabetes Association of TT (DATT) to have the monitors covered by the Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP) for children born with type-one diabetes.
Dr Bodoe said Minister in the Ministry of Health Dr Rishaad Seecharan recently met with DATT president Andrew Dhanoo to discuss the request, following which he met with Dhanoo.
“I did give the commitment that the government will try to find the money to purchase…really, what is in need there is the sensors.”
Bodoe said about $2 million was requested, but, given budgetary restraints, the entire ask may not be possible.
However, he said he would explore other avenues to facilitate the request.
“Childhood obesity and by extension childhood diabetes, and these are type one diabetics, not all of them are related to obesity, remains a very important group of the population and, as a government, we are committed to doing everything possible with the issues.”
A CGM is a small sensor with a needle that can be attached by a user to a suitable part of their body, like a patch, to provide continuous monitoring of their blood sugar levels throughout the day. The monitor can be synchronised to a cellphone app and, apart from reading sugar levels, can also alert the user or their caretakers when it gets to a dangerously high or low level.
The CGM can remain attached to a person up to around two weeks before needing a new one to be reapplied.
It has been hailed by many parents as being a lifechanger in helping managing their children’s condition but it costs around $15,000 annually to replace the sensor.
In an interview with Newsday on July 20, Dhanoo estimated that around 200 children were living with the condition in the country, but their parents could not afford the steep price for the technology. He said while they provide the machines at cost price to children and even help find sponsors to give those most in need, government intervention was needed because of its benefits.
He said the machines were being assessed by the Ministry of Health’s Chemistry, Food and Drug Division before the change in government came on April 28.