April 26, 2024
Pharmac ponders glucose monitor funding
Government drug buying agency Pharmac is looking at covering the cost of continuous glucose monitors for type 1 beabetics.
Type1 diabetes, which affects about 28-thousand New Zealanders, is managed with insulin shots and requires more monitoring than type2 diabetes.
Pharmac’s director Māori, Trevor Simpson, says it Maori are disproportionately affected by both types of diabetes, and the monitors could be life changing.
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So really keen that we can get to the point that we fund these devices – so that we can reduce the existing pressure on whānau that have to manage type1 diabetes for their loved ones.
Trevor Simpson says Pharmac has been consulting for more than a year, and is close to making a decision.