Call for life monitoring for Down's children

Down's syndrome sufferers are lobbying for routine checkups beyond their 14th birthday to keep an eye on their health since they are prone to conditions like heart disease and hearing impairment.

As things stand, the government provides regular checkups for those with Down's until the age of 14, after which they go through the normal adult healthcare channels, Down's Syndrome Association chairman Marthese Mugliette said.

Vulnerable people often did not voice their ailments or inform someone if their hearing or eyesight was deteriorating, she said, so monitoring was essential.

Unfortunately, however, not all parents and guardians were aware of this, so leaving the health monitoring in their hands was far from ideal.

For the past five years the association has been calling on the health authorities to provide its members with lifelong regular monitoring to improve their quality of life.

"Nothing has been done. Until today I have not heard of any plans for action... We feel the authorities are ignoring the needs of people with Down's syndrome," she said.

When contacted, a spokesman for the Health Ministry said the government planned to issue calls for two consultant posts to work with Down's syndrome patients over 14 years.

The only thing holding them back were technical "paperwork" issues, he said.

Ms Mugliette said the association was tired of hearing the authorities say they would look into the matter, since so far this had not translated into action.

Down's sufferers who turned 14 needed to be constantly monitored as their health was crucial to their quality of life, she said.

"If people with Down's are not hearing or seeing properly they do not tell you and, if no one notices, they can regress," she stressed, adding: "Financially it's better to monitor their health than pay for the cure."

Quoting medical research, she explained how people with Downs are likely to suffer from a number of conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease.

Heart disease occurred in almost 60 per cent of adults with Down's, up to 70 per cent could suffer hearing loss and 30 per cent may experience mental illness.

"The setting up of a Down's syndrome teenage and adult monitoring service will certainly help alleviate health problems since, with the preventative measures, these can be caught in a timely, more cost effective manner," Ms Mugliette said.