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A medical team from the Mackay Memorial Hospital (MMH) in Taiwan has donated five Hemoglobin A1C (HA1C) machines worth over EC$100,000 to the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment.

The team is in S.t Vincent and the Grenadines to commence a pilot project geared at preventing and controlling diabetes and made the donation on Friday.  The machines are used to analyse hemoglobin/glucose levels and will be placed at five different pilot health centres across the country.

Director of MMH’s International Medical Service Centre, Dr. Yung-Wei Hsu said, “We all face challenges such as climate change, non-communicable diseases NCDs and diabetes is one issue.” 

Hsu added that the HA1C machine is a vital tool for diabetic care and management and that the donation serves as a token of their love for SVG.

Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment, Senator Luke Browne, thanked the team for its kind gesture. 

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Browne revealed that a Vincentian team was trained at the Mackay Memorial Hospital for the provision of medical support to this project.

He also noted that HA1C is a “critical piece of equipment” for Hemoglobin analysis as current readings from the machine can analyse glucose levels three months prior to test. 

The minister lauded the healthcare professionals, adding, “They’ve selected the best of the best.”

The team, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment, will host a workshop showcasing the equipment and other aspects of diabetic management at the Methodist Church Hall from today (Monday) to Thursday, Jan. 17.