No stand-in dietitian for diabetic children

CHILDREN with diabetes attending Cork University Hospital (CUH) are to be left without a paediatric dietitian because no provision has been made for a replacement when the current incumbent goes on maternity leave shortly.

As a parent of a child with type-1 diabetes, I am extremely frustrated and disillusioned by this situation.

Blood glucose monitoring, insulin injections, dietary advice and exercise are the major components in the treatment of type-1 diabetes. Each of these is interdependent, extremely variable and cannot be viewed in isolation.