DIABETICS SHORTCHANGED AS DRUG ADDICTS GET HELP

A simple Google search reveals the skewed priorities in Saskatoon and
Saskatchewan.

Search for "Saskatoon free needle exchange" and you get a host of
pages dedicated to services for intravenous drug users. Search for
"Saskatoon free diabetes supplies" and you get some discussion of
"needle-free insulin delivery systems," insurance plans for diabetics
and a few pages that mention Saskatchewan residents on welfare are
eligible for full coverage of diabetic supplies.

It all makes me question our decision makers as to why we pay for
resources that make it possible for people to continue with their
choice to engage in self-destructive behaviour while those with a
genuine interest in managing their health must pay for the privilege.

As someone with Type 1 diabetes, I have experienced the spectrum of
difficulties, both financial and medical, this issue can create. I
have been a regular visitor to local emergency departments with this
condition because staying healthy is just too expensive. Even with
partial coverage from the provincial family health plan, it is not
unusual for me to spend $150 to $200 a month on supplies and
equipment -- and that's without taking into consideration dietary
requirements of this condition.

Rent, bills or things for my son just have to come first some months.

How many other families, too, are struggling similarly? How many
people are watching loved ones become progressively more ill, develop
complications such as heart disease, kidney failure and blindness,
possibly even watching loved ones die, because they just can't afford
to take care of their diabetes? In effect, the province is
subsidizing poor lifestyle choices and illegal activity while
adopting a Darwinian attitude toward those who didn't have a choice
in their chronic medical condition. What would Tommy Douglas say if
he could see us now?

Rebecca Geisler

Saskatoon