Diabetes NZ welcomes new diabetes guidelines

DIABETES NEW ZEALAND
MEDIA RELEASE
Monday, 8 December 2003

Diabetes New Zealand welcomes new diabetes guidelines

Diabetes New Zealand, the consumer organisation representing the interests of people with diabetes, today welcomed the publication of evidence based diabetes guidelines for general practitioners, but cautioned that the need for established clinical practice is changing fast and the guidelines will need to be updated soon.

“Diabetes New Zealand congratulates the New Zealand Guidelines Group for its work in the development and publication of these much needed guidelines which have been produced specifically for use by general practitioners”. “We welcome them as an important step towards managing this expensive and in many cases, preventable condition”, says Russell Finnerty, President of Diabetes New Zealand. ”

“In the future the real improvements will be made in the area of prevention. Diabetes New Zealand encourages this new work to be carried out by the NZ Guidelines Group”, said Mr Finnerty.

Diabetes is a major health disorder affecting over 200,000 families in New Zealand. In 2001, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated the costs of diabetes services to cost the taxpayer $247million and to be over a billion dollars by 2021.

Diabetes New Zealand is a national organisation, which represents the interests of its 13,500 members, who are based in one of its 36 affiliated Diabetes Societies throughout the country.

ENDS

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