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The overall diabetes prevalence rate in Bolivia is around 5% of the adult population. Data from a 2002 survey indicate an urban prevalence as high as 8.5%.
Diabetes care and support for the affected people and their families is limited in Bolivia. Therefore, Dr. Elizabeth Duarte has taken the initiative to establish the Centro Vivir con Diabetes (Centre for living with diabetes). This centre focuses on helping people with diabetes and their families to live a normal life with the disease.
To date the Centre has worked on a voluntary basis with Dr. Duarte as the strong, driving force. This project seeks to assist the Centre in establishing itself more permanently and sustainably for the long term.
Objective
The project aims to enhance the quality of life for people with diabetes in the Cochabamba province, Bolivia, by helping them to lead a normal life with diabetes.
Approach
The project supports the Centro Vivir con Diabetes for 1 year with salaries. This will enable the Centre to hire the required staff on a more permanent basis than has been the case to date. It will provide stability and continuity in the work of the Centre.
The Centre will be able to focus on its core task - to assist people with diabetes.
It is also hoped that by enabling the Centre to perform effectively for 1 year, the Centre will be able to attract resources from other sources for the long term continuation of its work.
Regarding the specific activities of the project, the Centre will establish 2 clinics for diabetes, nutrition and psychological care during the 1 year.
Training programmes will be conducted on a regular basis. These programmes include:
- Training of health care providers in diabetes care
- Advanced diabetes education with a duration of 2 months, two days per week. Focus in placed on medical care and counselling, nutrition and exercise. Participation includes scientists, doctors, nurses, nutritionists, people with diabetes and their relatives
Expected impact
- 30-40% of health care providers in the target area trained in diabetes
- 50% of health institutions in the target area have diabetes educators
- Information campaign on diabetes reaching 50% of urban population and 30% of rural population in target area
- Integrated diabetes education for 90% of poor family type 1 children and 50% of type 2 adults in the target area
Results at project completion, June 2005
- The first 'Centro de Atención Integral' for diabetes is offering its services to the Bolivian population
- A multidisciplinary team for treatment of diabetes has been formed
- Success in having people with diabetes adhere to the full treatment
- The first centre for healthy eating in Bolivia has been started up
- Capacity to provide needy patients with quality treatment, including the necessary medication has been created
- Approximately 1,200 people have been treated at the centre, of which 60% attend for medical treatment, 30% for nutritional treatment and the remaining 10% for psychological treatment and other services
- 15 courses of the PREVENIR (PREVENT) Programme have been held. They were held in eight sessions, which were attended by 149 people, with a permanent waiting list
- The modular educational programme for type 1 diabetes was attended by 100 diabetic children and young people, who were the beneficiaries of the INSULIN FOR CHILDREN programme
- Six cookery courses in which 70 people attended, have been held
- Simultaneous educational programmes for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and also with associations of people with diabetes, are held
- Since June 2004, 14,616 meals have been provided in the restaurant of the small centre
- 250 people are permanent beneficiaries, a variable number of people occasionally request the support of these programmes
- 884 people have attended, requesting laboratory services to complement their medical treatment
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