The Newsletter All monies of the Friends of collected are the Manx spent on the Isle Diabetic. of Man. The diabetic No monies are support Group sent of the IOM g{x W|tuxà|v off Island g{x Uxáà tÇw ÅÉáà \ÇyÉÜÅtà|äx W|tuxà|v axãáÄxààxÜ ÉÇ à{x \áÄx Éy `tÇ Issue number 22 Date: December 2008 Happy Christmas LEADING FROM THE FRONT Caaryjn Lught Vannin yn Chingys Millish A Charity registered in the Isle of Man. Charity number 894. All monies collected from whatever source will be used exclusively on the Isle of Man for the benefit of diabetics and their medical carers. Website: www.diabetes.org.im e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] “The Friends of the Manx Diabetes Centre” have changed their name to “Friends of the Manx Diabetic” The Chairman’s address at the AGM Disability Discrimination Act Update, the meeting at the Villa Marina The Christmas Message In this issue The Change of Name for the The Change of Name for the Group Chairman’s AGM Message Group Reminder to Mr Teare Minister for Health At an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Disability Discrimination Act update Friends of the Manx Diabetes Centre held at St The Christmas Message by our Trustee the Rev John Andrews Church Hall on 16th October last, after Guilford discussion and consideration, all those present, The Royal British Legion The Booklet unanimously agreed to do away with the title OSA Recruitment “The Friends of the Manx Diabetes Centre” and Presentations substitute it for “Friends of the Manx Carers Allowance Diabetic”. Editorial: Wattersons answer. The DHSS endeavours to reduce waiting lists. Help your Pancreas to help you. Correspondence: The Foot problem News Update. Changes to Membership fees. Changes to the Constitution. Introducing UTAG The Last Laugh The Manx Tay at Port Erin For some time now the Committee had become more and more convinced that our original title gave us connotations of being a DHSS department, which was the last thing we wanted to do, and the Centre was not now Food to eat in Food to take away responding as we had expected it to. Food for thought Things had come to a head, and it was Are all available at impossible to operate under our original title. Feegan’s Internet Lounge 8 Victoria Street, Douglas The new name “Friends of the Manx regarding the Prosthetic and Orthotic clinics, Diabetic” encompasses and reflects the requesting that there should be weekly clinics on operations and aspirations of the Group within the Island with drop-in facilities. our community. Mrs Scott undertook to do an audit, but the We are the Group for all diabetics on the Isle questionnaire that had been produced, did not of Man. once mention the question of weekly clinics with We are the Diabetic Group that is leading drop-in facilities, and she had been told that we from the front, and that is where we want to be at would not recognise the outcome of this the front, so that we can look after the interests ridiculous questionnaire without proper of all diabetics in these worrying times. questions regarding weekly clinics with drop-in It is important that we, as a diabetic group facilities. stand up for the rights and medical requirements However, it was his address on the rescinding of the Manx Diabetic, to safeguard their welfare, of the ‘reciprocal health agreement’ that moved and to ensure that we can fight for them without the meeting into a motion that it should be let or hindrance in any adverse future reproduced in its entirety in The Diabetic. developments that the DHSS may wish to This was put to the vote and carried introduce. unanimously, as was the request from the floor The new title “Friends of the Manx that it should also be put on our website. Diabetic” brings us into the 21st Century and So in accordance with the mandate at the reinvigorates our mandates and our position meeting this is a verbatim transcript of what the within our community and all diabetics on the Chairman had to say on Thursday 16th October Isle of Man. 2008, way before anyone else, on the rescinding Our mandate remains the same, all funds from of the ‘reciprocal health agreement’. whatever source received by the Group will be exclusively used on the Isle of Man for the benefits of all diabetics and their medical carers. No monies will be sent off Island. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr Brian Stowell for kindly translating our new title into the Manx Language which we will now use on all our communications. Henry J Ramagge Chairman To everyone and anyone who was involved in my husband’s passing, a “Everything is now virtually insignificant, Heart Felt Thank you compared to the announcement by the Minister Obitury for Health on Friday the 3rd October, which puts what I have said in the shade, and has almighty Chairman’s AGM address adverse ramifications for the residents of the Isle At the AGM the Chairman gave his annual of Man. address. I am referring to the ‘reciprocal health After thanking all those who had helped the agreement’ which the United Kingdom has Group during the past year he enumerated the rescinded as from 2010. problems he and Mr Houghton, our Trustee, had As you all know, I come from Gibraltar. I had with Mr Watterson, and what Mr Watterson used to run the Television and Radio Stations had said in respect of our request for help with there, and I had to contend with Government and allowances for amputees after they left hospital. Opposition, not like here. He also brought to the notice of the meeting I was constantly walking the tight rope, with his correspondence with Mrs Barbara Scott, the the Government on the one side and the Hospital Manager, following their meeting Opposition on the other, holding hypothetical Again nobody budged, but this just confirmed poles, taking it in turns trying to topple me off. my assessment of his comments of the previous Not to mention having to deal with the UK year. Foreign Office because of the Spanish problem Again I told Mr Houghton. at the time. In His Statement on Manx Radio, Mr Teare in So I have dealt with them, know how to deal a typically political way, glossed over the with them, and know where they are coming implications to the Island and its residents, to its from and how they operate. enormous complications. Maybe he didn’t know If the Chief Minister asked to appear on what they were going to be. Television or Radio, I would ask for a script as The only good thing that comes out of all this, to what he wanted to say, and put a red pencil according to Mr Teare is, and I am quoting, that, through whatever was political, and he was then “similar charges in agreements for residents of informed he couldn’t say that because it was the United Kingdom who require hospital political. treatment while in the Isle of Man”, he said, However if he wanted to say it, I would have “will be made” no objections, but then he was informed that I What a pathetic straw to hold on to. would invite the leader of the Opposition to The reality is that we, on our part would now appear the next night to answer him. require Insurance to go to the United Kingdom, If he didn’t want to appear, then it was up to and if you need to go into hospital whilst there, him, but if he insisted on saying it, I would invite then there would be a charge incurred which you the leader of the opposition to appear the next or your insurance would have to pay. So much night, to refute what he had said, and then on the for free National Health. following night we would have a debate on the Similarly, it will affect the sending of people issue with representative of Government and to UK for treatment, in some cases, expenses Opposition. would have to be borne either by the Manx Of course this system also applied to the Patient, according to Mr Teare’s claim, or by Opposition. insurance. So I have been brought up in politics. I presume they will eventually probably make To keep on my toes, I had to learn to analyse you pay for your taxis to the hospital to and from what was said, and at the same time envisage the the airport, and who knows, maybe even, as they future ramifications and developments from will put it, a contribution to your flights etc. whatever action or comments, the politicians On Monday (13th October) a gentleman from took, or made. the Insurance fraternity was on Manx Radio, I became very adept at this game, and still am. who categorically said on Radio and to me when So when last year a member of the we spoke afterwards, that it would be very Government at a meeting made a certain difficult for people over 60 to get insurance. comment, it went over the heads of those I agree with him entirely, unless of course, it present, however the implications of his veiled is the Manx Government who acts as the remark made my little antennas vibrate. underwriter for all these insurances. Then I spoke with Mr Houghton and informed him, they won’t refuse anyone insurance, and travel that the ‘reciprocal health agreement’ was going insurance will be cheap and accessible to all to be cancelled by the British Government in the Manx Residents irrespective of their condition.