Increased access to tests used in monitoring diabetes control has placed St Thomas Health Services in a better position to manage patients, says medical officer of health for the parish, Dr D’Oyen Smith.

Dr Smith explained that as the health facilities in the parish work towards achieving health and wellness among the population, chronic diseases are the key focus.

“If we can manage to control those, then we’d be doing a good job,” Dr Smith said.

One such chronic disease is diabetes, and according to the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey III (2016-2017), one in every eight Jamaicans, 15 years and older, has the disease.

“One of the important things for control is that you have to know where you stand, so if you don’t know if your sugar is uncontrolled, then you won’t be able to adjust properly.”

He added that one of the interventions that has been implemented by the Ministry of Health and Wellness is to increase access to Haemoglobin AIC (HbA1C) testing, to assist persons in assessing control.

The HbA1C test, which is the gold standard for monitoring diabetes control, gives an assessment of blood sugar over the last three months and is more effective than checking a patient’s blood sugar at the point when they visit the health facility.

“We have managed to implement that (HbA1C testing) across the parish, where it is more readily available,” Dr Smith said.

He pointed out that although the test has been around for years, it was somewhat inaccessible to some patients based on the cost.

He added that point-of-access testing can now be done, “so we don’t have to send it to a lab”.

“There is now a rapid test, so we are grateful that we are able to expand this,” he said.

Dr Smith said that this is being rolled out in the different health centres across the parish, providing people with an opportunity to know if their diabetes is being controlled.

He also highlighted some of the repercussions of uncontrolled diabetes.

“If you are not controlled, the high sugar causes you to have what is called advanced glycation end products, and they actually damage your nerves and your blood vessels and this leads to many of the diabetic foot problems that you see, such as nerve pain, loss of blood flow to the limbs as well as kidney function damage.”

“These are the things for which we will be able to identify the risk earlier, and to more aggressively manage, with activities like encouraging patients to eat better, exercise and practise portion control,” he added.

He argued that the earlier this is done, the lower the chance of complications, adding that the whole point of health is about improving the quality of life.

“It’s not about us having fancier surgeries or fancier medications; it’s just about people living to the fullness of their potential and being happy and comfortable and productive, and that’s really what healthcare is supposed to be about,” Dr Smith said.