Since 2014, the programme has been growing from strength to strength.
Before the programme was set up, families had to cover the cost of gene testing performed for their children – the cost was about $1,000 and not all families were able to afford this.
Now, the range of tools that are available to patients include gene testing, as well as positron emission tomography (to detect form of hyperinsulinism before surgery), and mass spectrometry analysis (for inherited metabolic diseases) – all of which are not currently funded by the state budget. And the programme partners hope to extend their services to help treat more than 700 inherited severe metabolic pathologies.[5]
Thanks to new technologies that have been implemented, more than 470 children now have access to telemedicine tools that offer remote blood glucose monitoring and medical advice from experts in the field.
In addition, the programme grants access to scholarships, residency, PhD courses and participation in international professional meetings for at least 30 young post-graduate students.
In 2018, the team at CAF Russia developed a new medical-social collaboration to support children with diabetes from vulnerable families (single parent families, poverty, parent unemployment, etc.).