The Federation of Diabetics Associations of Andalusia has told us in the last hours its deep concern about the situation of helplessness and abandonment faced by thousands of patients with diabetes in Andalusia.The formal complaint of the association will be carried out shortly through a letter that will be sent to the Ministry of Health of the Board to take into account the claim of the patient collective.
A total of 800,000 Andalusians with diabetes that need daily blood sugar measurement systems to treat and control their chronic disease, feel distressed because they do not know where and how they can acquire reactive strips and glucometers in the coming months.The reason for this concern is the intentions of the Andalusian Health Service who has recently denounced the agreement signed until June 2015 with the suppliers of that material.Apparently and as the Federation of Diabetics Associations of Andalusia has been ableFederation.
So far and the result of the agreement between the Andalusian Health Service, the pharmaceutical schools and the supplier companies the dispensation of reactive strips for the measurement of blood glucose has been made in pharmacies and with recipe.This agreement now denounced by the Administration if it is not renewed raises two possible harmful scenarios for the rights of people with diabetes.One of them is the public tender so that the distribution of these strips is carried out in the health centers.A second scenario is an auction process where only the product price is taken into account.
In both cases, the Federation of Diabetics Associations of Andalusia with its president Francisco Barroso in the head considers that the principles of accessibility to the products used to control diabetes are violated, which can undoubtedly cause a social alarm between thecollective.
If the control products are finally distributed in health centers, the Federation requires the same access conditions as people with diabetes have so far.That is, the possibility of accessing them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The second scenario, the auction causes even greater concern among the group of patients.Patients fear the presence of Asian suppliers that present a very competitive price offer but whose quality and product guarantee is minimal.
In that sense, another of the concerns of the Federation of Diabetics Associations has to do with the variety of current blood sugar measurement systems.Each patient with diabetes, according to the Spanish Diabetes Society, requires a specific glucometer, control strips appropriate to the meter and a specific formation for use.There is currently a wide diversity of strips and meters to meet these different needs of the group of people with diabetes.What patients ignore is whether that availability will remain exactly the same as the current one or there is intention by the SAS to reduce the current benefit to people with diabetes.In any case, Andalusians with diabetes are not willing to give up the diversity of products, or their innovation.In the last hours, it looks like several pharmaceutical companies (3 of the 8 that have a presence in Andalusia) would have accepted the downward conditions of the administration.
Given the new situation and lack of information, the lack of control and social alarm will be extended among the 800,000Patients with Andalusian diabetes and their families.The Federation of Diabetics Associations requests a review of the situation and recalls that the savings that inspire this measure can become greater future expenses for the health system given the medical complications that derive from the absence of controls or bad controls ofDiabetes.
