MOH talks diabetic blindness with healthcare professionals out west

BBN Staff: The Ministry of Health held a workshop in Belmopan today, the third in a countrywide tour to discuss Diabetic Retinopathy (blindness brought on by diabetes).

The workshop, done in collaboration with the Belize Center for the Visually Impaired and featured guest presenters from the United Kingdom, was focused on encouraging participants to refer all patients with diabetes to the BCVI for a regular vision check.

Donovan Cacho, Health Planner with the Ministry of Health explained that the workshops form a part of a four-year project which started back in 2014, funded by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, with a project value of $4 million over the four years of the project.

“The goal here is to push referral. We have high-level equipment at the BCVI to screen for Diabetic Retinopathy that’s not being utilized to the best of its ability because we need more referrals,” Cacho said.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that there are over 35,000 Belizeans living with type 2 diabetes. Apart from blindness, uncontrolled diabetes also causes kidney failure and can lead to limb amputation among other things. The ministry is calling on all diabetic patients to visit the BCVI for regular eye checkups to ensure that any complications can be detected as early as possible.

 

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