BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

TO BETTER CARE

Dear friends,

I hope that the New Year brings many good things and blessings for you and your families. With your strong support, the Diabetic Society of Singapore will continue to work for better care for people with diabetes.

For good diabetes care to become a reality, we have to consider the 5 As - Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Acceptance and Adherence. Singaporeans are fortunate to have highly qualified healthcare professionals, readily accessible public and private healthcare facilities and we have the 3 Ms of Medisave, Medishield and Medifund to help us pay for good care. From 1st January 2007, Singaporeans can tap into their Medisave for comprehensive care of four chronic illnesses: diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and stroke.

With this scheme, many more people can benefit from better monitoring, complications screening and cost-effective medications for these four chronic conditions. Good diabetes control will lower the risk of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and stroke, while poor diabetes control is usually associated with hypertension, high cholesterol and a higher chance of getting a stroke, so it makes good sense to spend our Medisave money wisely in preventing hospital admissions for chronic diseases.

The Diabetic Society of Singapore helps by increasing awareness about the necessity and skills needed for good control, acceptance of the disease through patient and public education efforts and adherence to the necessary medications such as insulin injections and fingersticks, plus the skills needed for home blood glucose monitoring. Together, we can fight diabetes and win.
 

Dr Warren Lee