In 2022, the Australian Federal Government committed a whopping $43M per annum to ensure all Australians living with type 1 diabetes can access Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) technology at a subsidised cost via the NDSS. CGM is a digital device that provides diabetes sufferers with instant access to their Blood sugar levels via a sensor in their arm and an app on their phone and decreases the risk of severe hypoglycemic events, as well as hyperglycemic events. 

My husband Marty was diagnosed in 2021 with diabetes, but because he does not suffer Type 1 diabetes, he is not eligible for the subsidy.

Marty suffers from ‘other diabetes’, or more specifically, Type 3C diabetes, which you may not have even heard of. Type 3C Diabetes (or Pancreatogenic Diabetes) can develop when there has been damage to the pancreas, such as is the case wit Marty, after having half his pancreas removed as a result of having pancreatic cancer. This renders him ineligible for the subsidy, even though he is insulin dependant and takes 4 injections every day just to manage his condition. 

Currently we are out of pocket $185 per month for the CGM devices, which Marty needs in order to monitor his levels. His type of work (fitter & turner) does not lend itself to constant finger pricks, so this new technology is gold to diabetes sufferers as they don’t need to prick their fingers. A swipe of their phone over a sensor in their arm gives instant acces to their BSL. With the subsidy we would be out of pocket only $32 per month for these devices. A significant reduction in the cost and a most welcome one in these current times, I am sure you would agree.

Being insulin dependent means he needs to monitor his blood sugar levels on daily basis to avoid a sever hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event, and he takes 4 injections of insulin daily, for the rest of his life. No different to how a Type 1 Diabeteic sufferer needs to manage their diabetes.

Continuous Glucose Monitoring technology is not just for Type 1 Diabetes sufferers, it is also for type 2 and ‘other diabetes’ & type 3C diabetes sufferers who need it, no matter how they came to have Diabetes in the first place.

The path to how a diabetes patient ended up with diabetes should not matter, the technology available on this subsidy is critical to ALL diabetics that need it. 

It is because of this that I wish to rally for all diabetes sufferers that require CGM technology, like my husband, to have access to this subsidy and I am seeking your support to help this make its way to Canberra.

Will you help us?