PEN-Plus Empowers Schoolteacher Living with Type 1 Diabetes in Sierra Leone
Umu Barrie, a schoolteacher, receives her type 1 diabetes care at the PEN-Plus clinic in Koidu, Sierra Leone. (Photo: © Michael Duff/World Health Organization)
Umu Barrie was on her way to a class at Njala University in southern Sierra Leone when she suddenly collapsed. Her friends rushed her to a nearby emergency department, but by the time they arrived, she had already lost consciousness.
Before that day, Barrie had been experiencing insomnia and constant fatigue. She had taken medication for malaria and then typhoid, but without any improvement.
After her collapse, she said, “I was admitted into the hospital for one week while they tried to work out what was wrong with me. They ran so many different tests to try and find the problem—HIV, hepatitis, typhoid—until finally they discovered I had type 1 diabetes.”
Barrie received insulin and stayed in the regular ward for three days of observation. She was then transported to the PEN-Plus clinic in Koidu, in the eastern part of the country. There clinicians explained type 1 diabetes management in more detail and gave her a glucometer and an insulin pen so she could monitor and treat her condition at home.
“They showed me how to use the pen and talked about the foods I should eat—or avoid—to keep my condition under control,” Barrie said. She learned to keep a record of her glucose levels for subsequent checkups and was able to take advantage of the clinic’s WhatsApp program, which facilitates support groups and allows patients to communicate directly with clinicians if they are unsure about their glucose readings at home.
“As long as my glucose levels remain steady,” Barrie said, “I need to visit the clinic only once every two or three months.”
Thanks to her continued care at the PEN-Plus clinic, Barrie said, she was able to complete her studies and begin her career as a teacher.
“Receiving this treatment has encouraged me to be a role model,” she said. “I am now living my life to the full, and I want to help other people with diabetes change their lives.”