Financial Support to International Students with Type I Diabetes?

[Magnus Strange]

Hello

I'm a young Danish guy starting undergraduate studies in London in late September. I have type I diabetes, and I am somewhat concerned about financing treatment when in the UK.

In Denmark, municipal and state funds cover the vast majority of my expenses: I have free access to needles, lancets, glucose meters and so on. Insulin is also practically 'free', and I can visit hospitals as frequently as I'd like.

However, I fear that such luxuries as those mentioned above might not be available to foreigners coming to study in the UK and that lack of financial support for my diabetes could hinder my studies.

Could anyone of you lovely diabetics help me either quell or justify me fears? Which - if any - financial support do you think I could gain access to? Or, if you do not know specifically, could you direct me to some government offices or the like where I can more accurate information?


Thank you very much in advance,

- Magnus

 

[NicoleC1971]

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthc...ou can continue to use,before the end of 2020.

If starting your course in September 2020 it sems you would have access to our state health care system (NHS) which covers emergency care and day to day management of your diabetes e.g. insulin, pens, needles, keto stix and the usual supplies.
Register with a local doctor on campus and get yourself assigned to either a specialist nurse OR a consultant diabetologist (which one this is tends on the severity of your condition e.g. do you have complications ?
You may also wish to get some additional supplies from your Danish doctor to tide you over.

Note that if you currently use a flash or continuous monitoring device e.g. Freestyle Libre then it could be worth stocking up before you go as these are not automatically prescribed to type 1s though test strips are.

 

[Magnus Strange]

Thank you for your advice, Nicole!