Health cuts - Ill-advised cuts will prove costly

A TOTAL of 200,000 Irish people suffer from diabetes, but half of them are not aware they have the disease, which can lead to blindness.

Many of those suffering from it may have inherited it genetically. They may not fit the obese profile frequently associated with diabetes.

Last year the Government’s own diabetes expert advisory group identified the introduction of screening as a priority to prevent blindness among those already identified as suffering from the disease. The HSE was supposed to introduce the diabetic retinopathy screening programme in the western region before the end of this year, and to roll it out in other regions on a yearly basis until it would be fully operational in 2011.