THE National Health Fund says it has found a way to lessen the possibilities for diabetic patients to mask their true condition through the introduction of the A-One-C test which is being touted as the gold standard for the monitoring and management of the condition.

The A-One-C is a simple laboratory test, which can, in a matter of seconds, measure the average blood-glucose level of the patient over the last three months. This is a step above the traditional finger-stick test which only shows the blood-sugar level at the time of the test and cannot yield immediate readings.

The new process, therefore, makes it useless for persons to disguise their eating habits by purging or fasting before turning up for tests.

Yesterday, chief executive officer of the NHF, Ray Barrett, said the test was being added to the list of benefits provided by the fund and will be offered by 18 healthcare providers across the island who have so far signed on.

“I expect the cost of the test to NHF card beneficiaries to reduce by 80 to 90 per cent, allowing patients to access this test more frequently to improve the management and treatment of their diabetes,” he said at yesterday’s launch at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston.

He said with the new benefit, diabetics enrolled for the NHF card will be allowed two subsidised tests annually at a cost of $300 each to cover the cost of testing materials. These beneficiaries include the over 182 diabetic children enrolled with the NHF. He, however, noted that coverage for the test is not available in the parishes of Trelawny, Clarendon and Manchester at the moment.

Yesterday’s launch coincided with the observance of World Diabetes Day.

Chief medical officer, Dr Sheila Campbell-Forrester, expressed concern at the incidence of diabetes in children.

“The focus for World Diabetes Day this year is on children and adolescents and the ministry (of health) is mindful of the increasing number of children with diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes normally associated with adults,” she said; adding that this increase was “because of overweight”.

According to the CMO, “more interventions were needed to help prevent and control diabetes in children.”

Furthermore, she said the Disease Prevention Unit at the ministry needed to design more programmes to support the siblings and parents of children with diabetes.

Meanwhile, honorary life president of the Diabetes Association of Jamaica, Professor Errol Morrison, while noting the difficulties experienced in trying to manage diabetes and the high treatment costs, said the A-One-C would also provide “a way of identifying those who have been fooling the clinic officials into thinking they have been managing their diabetes well, the A-One-C has come to the rescue and it is able to identify the quality of control and management”.

The NHF, through the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly and NHF card programme, has provided over $351.8 million in diabetes drug subsidy and $44.5 million for diabetic supplies to the approximately 60,000 patients enrolled for card benefits.