Pharmac 'procrastinating' over funding glucose monitors, Diabetes NZ says

A continuous glucose monitor lets users test their blood sugar with a scanner or phone. Photo / 123RF

Stephen Forbes, Local Democracy

Pharmac should stop procrastinating on funding glucose monitors for people with diabetes after the Government agency received a $191m boost in this year's Budget, Diabetes NZ says.

Lily Malot suffers from type 1 diabetes and says being able to monitor her condition with the latest technology would improve her quality of life.

The 13-year-old Waiuku resident was diagnosed with the condition when she was just 2.

Her mother Claire Malot said Lily had two seizures last week and was hospitalised after her glucose dropped to dangerous levels.

Malot said a specialist recommended getting a continuous glucose monitor, but it would cost about $400 a month to pay for the sensors.

"We just can't afford it," she said.

The monitors are the size of a mobile phone and operate via a small sensor that is attached to a patient's arm.

The device allows a person to track their glucose levels over the space of a day and provides alerts to a loved one or family member if they drop below a safe threshold.

Malot said a monitor would be life-changing for Lily and would give her and her husband peace of mind.

"She's 13 and going to high school next year and this device would mean that no matter where she is I can see what her levels are and do something about it if they drop to an unsafe level."

Lily and Claire Malot say the sensors for a continuous glucose monitor, which cost about $400 a month, are too expensive for many diabetics without Pharmac funding. Photo / Supplied

Traditional testing relies on a person pricking their finger for a blood sample, often multiple times a day, but it only gives a one-off reading and doesn't tell the person what their readings have been over the last 24 hours.

Malot said Lily had to prick her finger for a blood sample to test her glucose levels five times a day and was losing the sensation in her fingers as a result.

"This device would give her a new lease on life, especially as she's going into her teenage years."

The Australian government this month announced a subsidy for continuous glucose monitors for people living with type 1 diabetes.

In March, Diabetes NZ announced that it was starting a nationwide social media campaign to get Pharmac to fund the monitors.

Chief executive Heather Verry said Pharmac needed to stop procrastinating.

The monitors would help reduce the cost to the health system, with fewer diabetics ending up in the hospital, she said.

"Even if it only funds them for people with type 1 diabetes it would be a step in the right direction."

Pharmac chief executive Sarah Fitt said she couldn't give a definitive timeframe for if or when a decision would be made to fund the monitors.

"This is because the relative priority of funding one medicine compared with other medicines can change over time."

The monitors remained an "option for investment", she said.