Parents call for diabetes services

The parents of 270 children with diabetes held a picket at Cork University Hospital (CUH) yesterday to highlight what they claim is a lack of vital local services.

The Cork Parents Support Group of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland claim they are being discriminated against while children with diabetes in the east of the country receive an excellent service. Charlotte Pearson, of the Cork group, said a year from the day they held their last protest at CUH, the situation had worsened.

The parents are calling for the appointment of three full-time nurses, two dieticians and a qualified paediatric endocrinologist.

They welcomed yesterday's announcement by the HSE South that a dietician has been offered a position as a step in the right direction.

"The 270 children attending the diabetes service at CUH don't even have a dedicated clinic space, they have to share a very limited space with adults," said Ms Pearson.

© 2007 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times