Tech firm donates £40,000 in ‘life-changing’ diabetes supplies to Sierra Leone
An innovative point-of-care diagnostics solutions provider has donated more than £40,000 worth of vital diabetes supplies to help people living with the condition in Sierra Leone.
PTS Diagnostics has donated 3,360 tests of the A1CNow®+ test kits to the charity Help Madina and the diabetes facility at the Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni.
The A1CNow® device provides point of care testing for diabetes with lab quality accurate results given on the device within five minutes.
It can be used to screen for prediabetes or to monitor blood sugar control in people already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Compact and portable, the device requires no electricity, making it especially valuable in settings where quick and reliable results are essential.
The donation is valued at just over £40,000, with PTS Diagnostics also covering the cost of freight shipping within the US.
Help Madina, the charity receiving the supplies, works to improve health and wellbeing in the Madina district and across Sierra Leone – one of the world’s poorest regions, where health outcomes remain among the most challenging globally.
The DSN Forum UK has partnered with Help Madina to organise fundraising trips aimed at educating local health teams in Sierra Leone on the latest diabetes treatments.
On previous visits to the West African country, the nursing group has worked to upskill healthcare professionals and challenge misconceptions about diabetes, such as the belief that it is caused by witchcraft or that it is infectious.
They have also supplied local clinics with essential, lifesaving resources in short supply, including insulin, needles, test strips, blood glucose meters, footcare dressings and monofilaments for detecting neuropathy.
David Brandt, Vice President of International Sales for PTS Diagnostics, said: “Help Madina is a fantastic charity, and we are delighted to be able to support the work they are doing by sending portable and accurate testing to people in the Sierra Leonne community who would otherwise not have access to this device for people at risk of diabetes.”
Amanda Williams, Diabetes Specialist Nurse and the Founder of the DSN Forum UK, said: “Access to timely and accurate diabetes testing can be truly life-changing, especially in countries where resources are scarce.
“This donation means that more people in Sierra Leone can be diagnosed earlier and supported to manage their condition more effectively.”
She added: “We are proud to work alongside Help Madina and PTS Diagnostics to bring this vital care closer to the communities that need it most.”
Dr Veronica Sawicki, Founder of Help Mandina, said: “This donation is a potential lifesaver. Diagnosing and monitoring diabetes with HbA1c testing enables us to intervene earlier, educate communities and reduce the human suffering caused by untreated complications.
“We will be able to use them at the Holy Spirit Hospital, the government hospital in Makeni and also in our new diabetes clinic in Madina, plus in the outreach clinics once the 4x4 vehicle arrives.”
PTS Diagnostics and sister company Trividia Health UK Ltd are looking to support the important work that the DSN forum is doing going forward and plan to work together on additional initiatives.
Trividia Health also manufacture the TRUE Metrix Air blood glucose meter which is one of the NHS England recommended meters and is widely used across the UK.
The blood glucose meter connects to a free app which stores the person’s readings. Data can be sent across to a healthcare professional or anyone else. The meters are given out free of charge to anyone who has type 2 diabetes and meet the NHS criteria.
Should you wish to purchase a meter, they can be bought at Well Pharmacy online, at Boots or at Pharmacy2U.
If you are a healthcare professional and would like more information on the TRUE Metrix range or the A1CNow®+ products, please contact:
Chloe Young on cyoung@trividiahealth.co.uk or 07974203014.