Tuesday 11 July 2017 1:36pm
Associate Professor Jeremy Krebs, EDOR member and Clinical Leader of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Capital and Coast District Health Board, is excited about a new glucose sensor that has just become available in New Zealand for those living with diabetes. But as it is not currently funded by Pharmac, Dr Krebs fears it could be out of reach for some:
"It has the risk of creating an inequity for those who can't afford this technology".
Diabetes NZ President Deborah Connor would like to see this device available to all. Pharmac does fund blood-glucose test strips for the finger-prick method, but at the moment it does not fund the sensor test.
Being less invasive and more readily used in public situations, the sensor technology is likely to make a big difference for many people with diabetes, says Dr Krebs. However at an on-going cost of $200 per month, funding by Pharmac is required to make this technology accessible to everyone.
Find out more about the new glucose scanner
- New glucose test should be govt-funded, Radio NZ, 7 July, 2017
- New scanning technology set to provide relief for Kiwi diabetics, TVNZ, 5 July, 2017
