In our Health Assurance System, there are no funds for supporting test strips for blood glucose control. Do you know any possibilities to find financial help for establishing a fund to support self control for children with diabetes?

The Lions Club of Romania may be a source of assistance. However, it would be reasonable for you, your colleagues and all of the patients as well as families of Romanians with diabetes to start writing letters and visiting with health care officials as well as government officials to inform them of the necessity for monitoring. The costs are real and a major problem where the economy and financial situation is difficult around the world. However, providing improved diabetes care now greatly improves quality of life and saves your country and the health budget enormous numbers of leis since improved glucose control is translated into fewer cases of blindness, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, amputation, neuropathy, etc. Since the government has to pay for such problems, it would seem prudent to pay less now and avoid them rather than pay more later. This is the real message that the Romanian people must give to their government and health care leaders.

I would encourage you to organize such efforts since they have paid off in Timisoara with Professor Viorel Serban, Professor Ioana Micle as well as Dr Liva Bran. You may also want to talk with Professor Ionescu Trigoviste who is the new President of the Romanian Diabetes Association. All of these folks have done excellent work on behalf of the Romanian people with diabetes and may give you some ideas about how to proceed.

SB