Diabetes Victoria supports calls for access to technology

We hear from Dr. Ashley Ng 

Peak organisations are calling for the federal government to consider subsidising the devices for people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin.

Diabetes Victoria backs Diabetes Australia, the Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association’s proposal seeking $4.5 million in federal government funding over four years for a trial of the devices for people living with type 2.

The trial will aim to have the devices available at a reduced cost for all people who manage their diabetes with insulin.

A wearable device that tracks blood glucose levels 24/7, a CGM allows users to see patterns and trends and will sound an alarm if blood glucose levels are changing rapidly.

An insulin pump is the closest way of replicating the body’s own insulin production and is used instead of daily injections.

Ashley Ng lives with a rare type of diabetes called type 1b, somewhere ‘in the middle’ of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

She understands the nuances of the condition and believes everyone who uses insulin to manage diabetes should have affordable access to the same technology.

“Before CGMs were around, I was advocating for people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin to access insulin pump subsidies,” she says.

“More and more young people are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and particularly for women who end up falling pregnant, having an insulin pump makes a huge difference in the way they manage their diabetes.

“With CGMs it’s exactly the same thing – both technologies give you peace of mind.”

Around one in four people with type 2 diabetes use insulin to manage their blood glucose levels in the same way as people with type 1.

“The fact that people with type 1 can access the subsidy and people with type 2 don’t have access sends the message that people with type 2 diabetes aren’t as important,” Ms Ng says.

“We should be supporting people based on clinical need.

“The government likes to have it packaged up in neat little boxes, but it’s not that simple.

“At the end of the day, it will cost the government more to have people in hospital who could have avoided going to hospital if they had a better understanding of what’s happening with their diabetes.”

Dr Elizabeth Holmes-Truscott, Deputy Director at The Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, says the current model is both a symptom of, and contributes to, diabetes stigma.

“Diabetes stigma impacts equitable access to treatment and technologies,” she explains.

“Evidence shows that people with type 2 diabetes benefit from and want access to advanced diabetes technologies.

“However, subsidised access is limited and based on diagnosis rather than individual need.

“There is a blame and shame narrative that promotes personal responsibility in type 2 diabetes diagnosis and treatment.

“The irony is that people with type 2 seeking the technology to self-manage their diabetes are denied affordable access.”

Dr Holmes-Truscott says the dividing line between types of diabetes can be harmful.

“Using diabetes types, treatment, or age, among other factors, to determine access to technology can promote harmful stereotypes around severity and worthiness,” she says.

“We applaud advocacy efforts to increase access to diabetes treatments and technology for all people affected by diabetes.”