New Initiatives For Diabetes Care and Management
MEDIA RELEASE, April 7, 2000
New Initiatives For Diabetes Care and Management
Health Minister Annette King said today she was delighted $5 million more has been allocated from this financial year to the care and management of people with diabetes.
Opening the Diabetes New Zealand annual conference in Christchurch this afternoon, Mrs King said the Health Funding Authority has allocated the $5 million specifically for new diabetes initiatives.
Some of the money would be used to provide free annual health checks for people diagnosed with diabetes as well as providing increased access to comprehensive diabetes services including eye screening, she said.
The money will also aid development of a comprehensive nation-wide programme that will promote earlier detection and provide more comprehensive support for people with diabetes.
"Diabetes
is an issue my government takes seriously and as such we
have
identified diabetes as a priority area. We are
encouraged by the work of
Diabetes New Zealand that this
is a health problem we can control." Mrs
King
said.
There are about 115,000 people with known diabetes in New Zealand including 25,000 Maori and 8,000 Pacific people.
"Experience in New Zealand and
internationally indicated that one of the best
was to
deal with diabetes is to use projects that are based within
communities. The most successful of these community based
projects involve multiple interventions with comprehensive
follow-up care and a long term commitment," Mrs King
said.
"By involving primary health care providers in this
nation-wide diabetes
programme people with diabetes will
get improved and earlier diagnosis, with
easier access to
advice and support for their diabetes."
"To this
end the Ministry of Health and the HFA have been working
towards
improvements in diabetes prevention and
management and both agree that the reach and depth of
current diabetes programme must be extended.
"Diabetes
management involves so much more than just simply testing
for the disease. It involves a multi-disciplinary team
including nurse educators,
dieticians, podiatrists,
general practitioners, Maori and Pacific providers
and
others in helping to empower people to manage control
their diabetes."
Mrs King said the HFA had plans to set up three community based diabetes pilot programmes, "with community diabetes practitioners being the key to improved diabetes prevention and care.
"Initial indications are
that we will be able to effectively manage the
diabetes
and enable health gains for those at high risk
of developing diabetes and
associated health
problems."
ENDS