Jean claude mbanya biography

Our trustee James Elliott was recently in the African nation of Cameroon. We hope you enjoy reading their conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.

Jean Claude Mbanya is a Cameroonian

I have played different roles in different places. I chaired the Task Force on Insulin Supplies for 3 terms, which was about 6 years. I was also responsible for providing insulin to Goma [Democratic Republic of the Congo], and to all the disasters in the world. I worked extremely hard with others to get World Diabetes Day. So I have been involved in diabetes all my working years.

I am also director of a biotechnology centre, and I am involved with the Changing Diabetes in Children Program. After we started the program, with free insulin, free camps, free blood glucose metres, now we only have maybe 2 deaths per year. Now we have around or so children living with diabetes. But these are just children. If you include people with type 1 diabetes over 18, we are at around or children.

I can remember my first camp, the children cried. Because that was the first time in Cameroon the children could test their blood sugar before eating. It was the first time they could complain, ''oh my blood sugar is high, what should I do? I never thought kids with type 1 diabetes in Cameroon would have access to free insulin, free access to laboratory, free medication, free, free, free!