Nationalist MEP Francis Zammit Dimech has insisted that the government should provide free needles to diabetics.

Diabetics must prick their finger to extract a drop of blood and test the glucose level in their bloodstream, Dr Zammit Dimech said, adding that patients were not being provided with the essential needles.

“Needles must be replaced with every use due to health and hygiene considerations,” he said.

“Moreover, they become blunt after being used just once, causing discomfort and pain to patients, who use them on a daily basis,” he noted.

Welcoming the government’s initiative to provide glucose meters and sticks to diabetics free of charge, Dr Zammit Dimech said this was not enough, pointing out that a diabetic patient had told him this was like being given a car without a key.

Glucose meters and sticks are not enough. A diabetic patient said this was like being given a car without a key

The needles should also be provided with a lancet device, a small medical implement used for blood sampling that provided greater comfort, Dr Zammit Dimech said.

He has previously called on the government to provide free continuous glucose monitors to diabetics and to set up a parliamentary committee on diabetes.

Dr Zammit Dimech sent two letters to Health Minister Chris Fearne on the issue but, to date, there has been no concrete action or results.

“The government has been coming up with mere excuses,” he said.

He encouraged people to test their blood glucose levels, noting there were cases where people had diabetes but were unaware.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that he would be holding a diabetes week at the European Parliament in order to raise more awareness on the issue.

He accused the government last week of ignoring advice from medical practitioners on shorter, free insulin needles for children.

In a letter to Mr Fearne, he said it was “generally painful” for children to be injected several times a day with a longer needle.

Dr Zammit Dimech at the European Parliament.Dr Zammit Dimech at the European Parliament.

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