General News
4 May, 2022
Subsidy for diabetes sufferers
PEOPLE living with diabetes in south west Victoria will be able to better manage their condition after the announcement of major subsidies for continuous glucose monitoring systems.
PEOPLE living with diabetes in south west Victoria will be able to better manage their condition after the announcement of major subsidies for continuous glucose monitoring systems.
South west Victoria has some of the highest rates of diabetes in Australia, with 2050 people with diabetes in Warrnambool local government area, 1760 in Glenelg, 1360 in Colac Otway, 1190 in Southern Grampians, 1110 in Corangamite and 900 in Moyne.
Warrnambool-based diabetes educator Ann Morris said the decision to cut the cost of support systems would have an enormous impact.
“It will have long-term health benefits, reduce hospitalisations and lower the cost burden on the health system,” she said.
“The ripple effect will be enormous.”
Mrs Morris, from AMCON Diabetes Management Services, who operates alongside Claire Timms from South West Diabetes Care in Warrnambool, said a lot of people with Type 1 diabetes couldn’t afford the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.
The Federal Government last week announced $273.1 million to cut the cost of continuous glucose monitoring to support an additional 71,000 Australians with type 1 diabetes from July 1, meaning they will pay a maximum of $32.50 each month to access the monitoring devices, equivalent to the cost of using blood glucose test strips.
The Opposition has unveiled a similar subsidy.
It will mean a saving of more than $200 a month.
“It will make it more accessible to many people, giving continuous visibility to their glucose levels,” Mrs Morris said.
“At the moment, people are paying at least $250 a month for a subscription for continuous glucose monitoring system; there would be a huge number who can’t use it because of the cost.”
Mrs Morris said once people learn the system, they can become proactive with their management.
“If their glucose levels are rising, they can take insulin to prevent further problems, or if they are dropping, they can have something to eat to prevent them going low,”she said.
“It means people don’t have to prick their fingers to check their levels, which can be uncomfortable and painful.”
Mrs Morris said CGMs provide more thorough monitoring with 288 readings across a 24-hour period.
“People with Type 1 diabetes will learn so much more about their condition and will be able to refine their management,” she said.
Mrs Morris said diabetes educators have been pushing for subsidies for years.
“The whole premise of the National Diabetes Services Scheme when it was set up in 1987 was to subsidise and make consumables more affordable,” she said.
“This opens up a wider range of choice for what system people use and Claire and I believe this will be very important for people with Type 1 diabetes.”
Type 1 is an autoimmune condition not connected to diet and lifestyle. Mrs Morris urged people to consult their diabetes educator about CGMs.