World Diabetes Day is celebrated on November 14 and is the world's largest diabetes awareness campaign.
Dr. Sandra Mitić, head of the Children’s Department at the “Bukovička banja” Special Hospital, points out that it is one of the most powerful and strongest campaigns in the world when it comes to raising awareness about a single disease, but also that the fight against diabetes in children, parents, and society as a whole lasts the whole Life.
“This day should actually be a reminder, a trigger for society, to constantly engage and in all possible ways help such children to grow up properly, to have a happy childhood, youth and a healthy later life. I will remind you that we are the only institution in the territory of the entire Balkans that has a department for extended treatment, education and rehabilitation of children and youth suffering from diabetes. After the diagnosis of this disease, the children continue their treatment in our institution with an appropriate diet and physical activity adapted to them. We are an open hospital. Children can move freely, walk around our beautiful park, use the devices that are in the immediate vicinity and are available to them, and we also include them in physical activity, daily exercises lasting 30 minutes. It’s group exercises, general conditioning exercises that help condition these little patients. We welcome them here as a team and we all work together to make it as easy as possible for them to overcome that moment in order to return to their duties that await them at home as successfully as possible”, explains Dr. Mitić and points out that next year, in which the Special Hospital marks 35 years since the establishment of the Children’s Department will be marked by appropriate activities, professional and educational gatherings.
It is an alarming fact that there are more and more children suffering from diabetes. In Serbia, 150 boys and girls are diagnosed with diabetes every year and they are referred to the “Bukovička Banja” Special Hospital for education, treatment and rehabilitation.
Dr. Marina Radosavaljević, head of the department for hospital treatment of children with diabetes, emphasizes that people with diabetes require constant treatment, care and support in order to manage their condition and avoid complications.
“Education is important in order for diabetes control to be satisfactory and our goal is to train young patients and their parents to keep diabetes under control. The goal is to prevent complications, both acute ones, to recognize the symptoms of diabetes in time and to start treatment early. The goal is also to prevent those late, chronic complications because hyperglycemia damages many organs, leading to kidney, eye, nerve, heart and blood vessel dysfunction. The Ministry of Health has made many positive changes to make life more comfortable for children with diabetes and to have better insulin control, so three insulin pumps and sensors were on the list of the Fund”, says Dr. Radosavljević.
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, on November 14, the “Alarm” Association distributed blue-white balloons to children being treated at the Special Hospital in order to symbolically, by releasing them into the sky, remind them of everything these children face.
The importance of the Special Hospital “Bukovička Banja” was also recognized by the Minister of Health, Danica Grujičić, who announced that in the next loan from the World Bank, it is planned to build a hotel in Bukovička Banja, where both parents will spend three weeks with their diabetic child and receive all the necessary education. .
