Health officials in Cyprus have turned to the University of Warwick to help the country improve its treatment of people with diabetes. The Ministry of Health in Nicosia, Cyprus has invited representatives from Warwick Medical School to travel to the country later this month to set up the Certificate in Diabetes Care (CIDC) course for health professionals.

The CIDC course is the UK’s leading foundation course in diabetes care and this is the first time Warwick Medical School has delivered the course abroad. Twenty five students have signed up for the course, including hospital nurses and specialist paediatric nurses.

The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the southern region of Cyprus is 10.3%, compared to 4% in the UK. The country currently has a community doctor system, which is similar to the UK’s GP system. Currently diabetes care and treatment is part funded by the Ministry of Health but people with diabetes do pay for some aspects of care e.g. podiatry, and some of the newer therapies.

CIDC course director at Warwick Medical School Louise Skelton said the course would bridge a gap in diabetes care in Cyprus. She said: "This course will give them the knowledge and skills to improve care of diabetes. It will also help doctors to understand that nurses can play a more involved role in diabetes care, therefore encouraging working as a multi-disciplinary team."

Louise and her team have adapted the course teaching materials for Greek students and enlisted local specialists in diabetes care to help with teaching. Louise said: "We think involving local specialists in Cyprus is important to give students an understanding of local policies, as well as meeting the specialists. It is a very exciting project and we have been approached to set this course up in other countries."

Warwick Medical School will be developing a core international delivery model which may be adapted for different countries in the future.

For more information about the Warwick CIDC course, please visit http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/study/cpd/subject_index/diabetes/cidc/

Contact: Kelly Parkes, Communications Officer, Warwick Medical School, k.e.parkes@warwick.ac.uk, 02476 6150483, 07824 540863