Bucharest, August 23, 2017 – Children with insulin-dependent diabetes in Romania can now be permanently monitored with state-of-the-art technology, due to a telemedicine solution that allows for replacing the daily tests with needles needed to measure the blood sugar level. At the moment, 25 children from 20 counties benefit from this type of modern monitoring, as a result of Telemedicine for the insulin-dependent child project, an initiative of the Support for Diabetes Association, financed by the Vodafone Romania Foundation with 270,000 lei, under the Connect for Good program.
The project radically changed the lives of children by using sensors that ensure the permanent, remote monitorisation of the patients’ blood sugar. In addition to eliminating the physical pain caused by the daily needle based tests of the old method, this type of blood sugar visualization also provides a high level of safety for children’s lives by removing their exposure to the risk of diabetic coma. At the same time, the project gave the children back their independence and the opportunity for an easier social integration.
„For the 25 children there have been provided, free of charge, the equipment and the support consisting of remote medical supervision, provided by a team of volunteer doctors. The project was an innovation in terms of medical technology at the time of its launch, providing high-quality care to children with insulin-dependent diabetes. The telemedicine solution compensates for the lack of resources and facilitates the patients’ access to vital services,” said Angela Galeta, Director of the Vodafone Romania Foundation.
„It is the first project of this type in the country and abroad. The telemedicine system offers the possibility of personalized support, provided in real time, being a vital help in taking care of an insulin-dependent child. This support is provided remotely, no matter where the child and doctor are. No hospitalization having the diabetes as primary cause, no diabetic coma, safely integrated children from the education and social point of view, families with a better quality of life, a beautiful community of families with insulin-dependent diabete children in which each member feels protected and parents reintegrated in terms of professional activity – these are the results of our project,” said Doctor Mihaela Vlaiculescu, President of the Support for Diabetes Association.
Through the telemedicine system, the doctor constantly visualizes children’s blood sugar displayed on mobile devices. The system alerts parents and the healthcare professionals in case of glycemic emergencies, so that they can promptly intervene to adjust the insulin treatment without interfering with the child’s activities, be it at the kindergarten, at school, or whether the child is playing or sleeping. Moreover, as the devices can be watched and operated remotely, there is no need for the parents to permanently stay with their child anymore.
The Vodafone Romania Foundation is a Romanian nongovernmental organization with charitable status, distinct and independent of the company’s commercial operations, established in 1998. During the 19 years of activity, Vodafone Romania Foundation has financed 1,046 programs run by 660 NGOs throughout the country, in the fields of health, education, social services. The projects had 1.9 million beneficiaries – children, young and old people, physically, socially or economically disadvantaged persons. So far, Vodafone Romania has invested more than 26 million euros in projects run by nonprofit partner organizations. More details about the Foundation’s programs are available on fundatia-vodafone.ro, http://jurnaldebine.fundatia-vodafone.ro/ and www.facebook.com/fundatiavodafone.
The Support for Diabete Association is a non-governmental organization whose primary goal is to facilitate the access of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes to quality medical services, offering medical, educational, emotional support with the help of the volunteer doctors, as well as access to state-of-the-art technology that allows for improving the life of the insulin-dependent children and young people. The Association is a pioneer in using sensors in the diabete specialised practice in the country and integrating data collected this way into insulin therapy programs.
