By Shirley Thomas
MEMBERS of Guyana Diabetic Association yesterday participated in a diabetes workshop organised and hosted by Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, on Carmichael Street, Georgetown.

a section of the participants at the Diabetic Workshop and the Ptolemy Reid Centre

It attracted 50 participants, from the city and its immediate environs, who were briefed extensively on the chronic disease that continues to wreak havoc locally.

Facilitators and trainers were drawn from the Ministry of Health and they focused primarily on diabetic foot care, nutrition for diabetics, diabetes related complications and how to prevent and manage them.

A nutrition demonstration for diabetics

According to Ministry of Health statistics, there are at least 35,000 diabetics in Guyana, many of them amputees.

The sessions also looked critically at the types of diabetes, namely type one – insulin dependent; type two – non-insulin dependent and gestational diabetes- high blood sugar which starts during pregnancy.

Foot Care Specialist – Ms. Jacqueline Williams provides foot care for a diabetic amputee.

Ms. Audrey Mofatt spoke on Nutrition and the Diabetic; Mrs. Emily Cumberbatch dealt with the blood sugar challenge and diabetic complications while Ms. Jacqueline Williams, foot care specialist within the Ministry of Health, talked about diabetic foot care.
Following the interactive three-hour programme, there was free glucose and blood pressure testing, as well as demonstrations on foot care.
Those who participated, particularly the amputees, expressed gratitude to the staff of Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and the Ministry of Health for undertaking this educational initiative.