A student with diabetes has won her fight to continue her dream career as a paramedic after a decision to overturn a ban on her driving ambulances because she uses insulin.
Sarah Fawzi, 21, who now works as a student trainee with the London Ambulance Service (LAS) while studying at Hertfordshire University, said that it felt “really good” to get her licence back.
The paramedic science student added: “I was devastated. I started to doubt my chances of ever becoming a paramedic. Now I’ve realised I can still do what I want to do as long as I control my diabetes well.”
Ms Fawzi was diagnosed with diabetes last August just two months before she started a placement with the LAS. DVLA rules mean that anyone treated with insulin is discouraged from driving blue light vehicles such as ambulances. Ms Fawzi also had to hand in her C1 licence which allowed her to drive large passenger vehicles. Without these licences, she had to cancel her one year LAS contract.
Diabetes UK, which campaigns for people to get individual assessments, encouraged Ms Fawzi to reapply for her licence. The DVLA agreed that blood tests showed she managed her diabetes well and she got her licence back in December. The LAS ruled Ms Fawzi was suitable for blue light driving and she started working for them this April.
Next month, Ms Fawzi, from Newcastle, will take part in the Bupa Great North Run as a “thank you” to Diabetes UK. The charity has already overturned a blanket ban in 2011 on any insulin user driving large passenger vehicles. Nikki Joule, from Diabetes UK, said said: “We believe all people with diabetes have the right to drive if they can prove their medical fitness.”
A DVLA spokeswoman said it tried to maintain a balance between ensuring only those safe to drive are allowed on British roads and “avoiding unnecessary restrictions on independence.”
