Advocates call for government to widen access to life-saving tech

More than 32,000 Tasmanians have type 2 diabetes, and close to 10,000 must administer insulin multiple times a day.

A Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) device can help diabetes patients monitor their glucose levels by wearing a small sensor for up to 14 days on the back of the arm.

The CGM device removes the need for painful finger-pricks that people with diabetes have traditionally used to monitor glucose levels.

Currently, the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) CGM subsidy is only available to Australians with type 1 diabetes, not type 2.

Under the subsidy, the annual cost of CGM devices is reduced from $5600 to $390.

Launceston resident Laurie Dwyer was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 11 years ago.

Mr Dwyer said he did not have a good experience using finger-pricking to manage his diabetes and decided to purchase a CGM device instead, despite the financial burden.

"I couldn't put one foot in front of the other when my blood glucose was really high," he said.

"Since I've been using the insulin and now with the sensor, and I know that I'm in the normal range, it's been amazing in the last two or three weeks, just all the energy that's come back to me.

"It's made me way more conscious and made me take my diabetes more seriously than I have in 10 years."

Associate Professor Gary Kilov AM, who is a GP specialising in diabetes from Launceston, said many of his patients living with insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes are unable to afford CGM devices and are "travelling blind" with regards to their glucose levels.

Associate Professor Kilov said he believes there will be positive economic outcomes if CGM devices are subsidised for all Australians with insulin-requiring diabetes.

"What's expensive about treating diabetes are the long-term complications and hospitalisations, and we know these are significantly reduced with CGM," he said.

"The experience in countries where CGM is available to insulin-requiring persons with type 2 diabetes have shown conclusively that the cost of CGM subsidy is more than offset by the cost savings accrued through better health."

Associate Professor Kilov said incorrect dosing of insulin can lead to serious and possibly fatal consequences for people with diabetes.

"Insulin is very powerful, but it has a narrow therapeutic index, meaning that it's a narrow band in which the right dose is found," Associate Professor Kilov said.

"Insufficient insulin results in persistent hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar levels), exposing individuals to increased risk of serious complications such as vision loss, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and much more.

"Conversely, too much insulin can result in hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) predisposing individuals to falls, motor vehicle accidents, and in extreme cases coma, seizures, and even death."