Maurice Hayes (Independent)

I commend to the Minister of State an interview with Jack Gilroy in last weekend's Sunday Independent. Mr. Gilroy is a former Dublin footballer who lost both legs as a result of diabetes. His story is quite harrowing and his problem stems from a sweet tooth.

Diabetes is an epidemic. Obesity is creeping up on us and if we do not get a grip on it, it will overwhelm the acute services. It will affect almost every field, including the renal, cardiovascular and ocular services. Money invested to address the problem now will save enormous sums in the future. Any analysis of health economics would lead one to this conclusion.

One worries when one sees the level of obesity among children, even those of ten years. It is caused by a combination of what they eat and a lack of exercise. Children are being driven to school whereas they walked in the old days. I can understand why parents drive their children to school but if they were encouraged to walk safely it would get rid of a lot of environmental pollution in addition to fat.

My wife was a supply teacher some years ago and introduced a rule that her pupils could drink nothing but water. The consequent lowering in the rate of hyperactivity among the children was amazing. When my own grandchildren are given sweets, they jump up and down for an hour thereafter.

It is important to encourage people to take the test for diabetes. If general practitioners were given a quota of patients to test for diabetes, collie dogs would not be needed. The general practitioners would bring the patients in themselves.

I did a study of acute hospital services in the North some years ago and also spent considerable time studying private practice. I noted a model example of the handling of diabetes at primary care level in a practice in Crossmaglen in south Armagh, the name of which I could circulate. There was an absolutely wonderful diabetes nurse and she was able to manage a high number of diabetics, even advanced diabetics, in the community, thereby keeping them out of hospital. The key was that she had a close relationship with an endocrinologist in a hospital, who was able to respond. The two must work together. I would commend this model to anyone looking for a model of good practice.

I congratulate the Minister of State on what has been done. The subject needs to be treated tremendously seriously. As Senator O'Meara stated, it is a question of lifestyle. As well as looking after diabetics, one must try to change people's lifestyles and encourage them to eat and live more healthily.

I support Senator Henry's plea for foot care services. Foot problems are the primary cause of immobility and there is more need for foot care services among diabetics than among any other group. Eye services are ancillary but both types of services are very important. I ask the Minister of State to tackle the problem of diabetes at school level and through primary care.