Donegal parents of diabetic children petition Minister for improved services
A group of parents is to travel from Donegal to the Dáil next week to hand in a petition to the Health Minister over the care for their diabetic children.
There is currently no diabetes nurse covering paediatric care for 143 children in the county who have the Type 1 form of the condition.
They can use an insulin pump to cut down on the number of daily injections they have to get, but the nearest centre of excellence for pump therapy is four hours away in Dublin.
Paul Gillespie from the Donegal branch of Diabetes Ireland said the journey took its toll on the children.
"One of the problems of travelling with a child with diabetes is that if their blood sugars are a little high, they're more prone to getting car sick, and you're four hours (from your destination)," he said.
"And once you get to Dublin, the Dublin clinics are absolutely jammed."
