Two families with diabetic children file a human rights complaint against the province

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – New standardized policies are putting children with Type 1 diabetes at risk; that’s according to two Metro Vancouver families, who have filed a human rights complaint against three provincial ministries and the Fraser Health Authority.

In the view of these two families — one from Surrey and one from New Westminster — each child with Type 1 diabetes needs specialized care rather than a standardized approach.

“It’s not the children that have to fit the care plan, it’s the care plan that needs to fit the needs of the children,” argues Giully Milburn, a mother who claims her six-year-old daughter suffered a hypoglycemic episode just two days after her school in New Westminster adopted the policy.

“As a parent, I felt terrible,” says Milburn, of initially signing the paperwork to the changes in policy despite her concerns. “I felt the worst. I felt I had let her down. I felt that I had made a decision that put her life in danger.”

The new rules, which came into effect this school year, require blood sugar levels to be checked at set times. The guidelines do allow for flexibility, but some parents complain some schools are only monitoring at these set times and their children are getting sick as a result.

News1130 has requested comment from the three ministries named in the human rights complaint (Health, Education, Children and Family Development) for a response. The health ministry says it is working on a response.

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