Havana, July 30 (RHC)-- Dr. Ileydis Iglesias Marichal, director of the National Institute of Endocrinology, affirmed in Havana that the success  on the National Program of Attention for the Diabetic in Cuba, is a result of early diagnosis and, above all, on the education of the patients on how to deal with this chronic disease.

The specialist told Prensa Latina that the program covers one hundred percent of diabetics and is aimed at the treatment, management of complications, and prevention, given the importance of the patients´ willingness to maintain healthy lifestyles to control the ailment.

With few economic resources and without a first-generation therapeutic arsenal – available in other countries--, the doctor said Cuba is the country with the best glycemic control of patients in Latin America, according to records from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

The director of the Endocrinology Institute explained that the most common complication deriving from diabetes is the amputation of lower limbs; a reason why the program focusses on the early detection of the foot at risk of developing an ulcer.

On this regard, she noted that an achievement of Cuban science is Heberprot-B, a product that has reduced amputation rates by more than 70 percent, favoring the rapid healing of wounds in diabetics.