Kuami and his twin sister were abandoned by their mother and father at the hospital immediately after delivery.
Their grandfather has since been taking care of them.
However, Kuami, a graduate of EP senior High School was diagnosed of type 1 diabetes in 2022.
He has since lived on insulin but due to financial difficulties Kuami is unable to afford the medicine.
“In August 2022, I was in shop then I was feeling that I want to urinate so I went to urinate when I came back, I was thirsty then I drink water then few minutes I was hungry then I ate so how the thing was going my grandfather said I should go to hospital .When we went they said it is diabetes so they gave me insulin to use everyday but my grandfather said he doesn’t have money to buy the insulin, one is ghc100 so he stopped buying the insulin. So I need help I want people to help me .My manhood is not working now that is worrying me” Kuami said.
Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself.
For Kuami and other people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival.
Eastern Regional Health Directorate I concerned over alarming increase of type 1 diabetes among children.
The health directorate estimates that about 1 in 100 children in the region have type 1 diabetes which is expected to increase in the coming years.
Dr. Abigail Doduwah Sackey ,Eastern Region none-communicable disease coordinator said the situation is disturbing given that children with type 1 diabetes require lifelong management including regular monitoring of blood sugar levels, healthy lifestyle and insulin therapy which is very expensive and inaccessible in parts of the country leaving such children to their fate.
