New diabetes centre opens in Larnaca

Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas on Friday inaugurated a new diabetes centre at Larnaca hospital, which “will offer holistic care for all diabetes-related issues, providing patients with the best possible care”.

The new centre “offers prevention, diagnosis and treatment by experienced and qualified specialists in the treatment of diabetes,” the minister said.

The clinic will operate daily to monitor and inform diabetes patients, as well as newly diagnosed patients and uncontrolled cases, while specialised surgeries will run for diabetes foot and gestational diabetes.

In addition, a specialised nurse will provide information and advice to patients over the phone on a daily basis.

The increasing trend in diabetes rates “is a major public health issue, which turns into a major social issue if we consider that it affects not only the individual but also their family and the wider public,” he said.

Hadjipantelas said that the operation of the new centre, which will serve the needs of the wider Larnaca area, is an important investment for the state health services (Okypy) that will benefit both patients and society, “in line with Gesy’s patient-centred principles”.

He added that diabetes prevention through targeted campaigns at schools and elsewhere is one of his ministry’s priorities, saying that apart from the Larnaca centre, diabetes clinics are operating around the island, including Makarios children’s hospital.

These clinics, staffed by specialised health professionals, follow a holistic approach involving many specialties, to monitor patients and limit complications. At the same time, they give patients in both rural and urban health centres better access to their services.

At the same time, a holistic approach is followed with the involvement of many specialties that monitor the patient to avoid complications, he said.

The health minister finally congratulated Okypy for its efforts to improve its services, expressing the hope that they will keep upgrading public hospitals for the benefit of all patients.