Can you help a diabetic in need? Donate to Insulin for Life

Published: 04 November 2009

Send in your unwanted, unopened and in-date insulin to help type 1 diabetics abroad.

No, this isn't about the insulin management programme supported by one of the insulin companies (but that's what all the UK nurses thought when they saw a 10 minute slot on the FEND programme devoted to this topic!).

Clauida Lippert, a diabetes nurse from Germany, told the conference the story of a young girl in India who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. After a short time following discharge from hospital, she was found abandoned by her family and left to die. Her family could not afford to pay for the insulin needed to keep her alive. I don't think there was a dry eye in the audience, and it certainly made us remember how fantastic the NHS is in many ways.

Insulin for Life is a charity that collects unused in-date insulin and sends it to countries where patients cannot afford to pay for it, like India. Maureen Wallymahmed from Aintree hospital tells me she has been doing this for quite a while and has given me the address for the collection point in London (originally, she used to have to send it to Australia). The insulin just needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap. Her local Diabetes UK group has taken this on and pays for the postage too. Here are the contact details if you're interested in helping this charity:

Unwanted, unopened and in-date insulin that has been stored in a fridge.

Please put it in a jiffy bag and send to:

IDDT
PO Box 294
Northampton
NN1 4XS

Telephone 01604 622837 
e-mail insulin@iddtinternational.org

All donations must be made following the WHO Guidelines for Drug Donations (1999) (PDF 76KB) as per RCN Congress 2005 Resolution 7 ("That this meeting of RCN Congress deplores the practice of supplying out of date drugs and medical appliances to the developing world").