Letter from Mrs Janet Michael
Mrs Janet Michael
Director General for Nursing and Midwifery,
Ministry of Health
Republic of South Sudan.
Diabetes Specialist Nurse
It is timely that we developed the role of Diabetes Specialist Nurse in South Sudan. Currently we have several people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in South Sudan without any diabetic specialist service to care for them. Most of the diagnosed patients are middle-aged adults. Records of their demographics do not exist and as such there are no prevalence figures for this condition in South Sudan. There are no doctor run diabetes clinics.
Most people are referred to further evaluation and treatment to Khartoum. A number of patients have suffered lower limb amputations due complications of diabetes. In the absence of a diabetic clinic patients are not routinely checked for complications of the condition. Testing is random and diabetic drugs are only available in the private pharmacies.
The current situation is dire and needs a trained diabetes specialist nurse to organise the service in order to offer the following clinical services:
- Education of patients and families with diabetes;
- Instigate changes in lifestyle, especially weight control and eating a balanced healthy diet; and
- Provide care needed in a structured environment.
I hope that these comments will stimulate interest overseas to help us set up this service in Juba. The Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery has graduated a number of high calibre nurses who are potentially trainable to take on this role in South Sudan.