Diabetes the focus of concerted action

Diabetes New Zealand's (DNZ's) Priorities for Actionreport is a timely reminder to New Zealanders of the increasing incidence of diabetes, and the need for co-ordinated action within the health sector - and beyond.

"Diabetes is clearly one of the major health issues New Zealanders have to grapple with." Ministry of Health spokesman Sandy Dawson said. "And the evidence suggests that we are."

"Perhaps the most telling marker of the fact that we are making progress is that in the last seven years there has been no increase in the number of New Zealanders with diabetes who have been admitted to hospital with a stroke or heart attack, or who have needed a lower limb amputation. The number of people who start renal dialysis because of diabetes is also stable".

This is despite growing numbers of people being diagnosed with diabetes as a result of increased awareness and early detection, Dr Dawson, chief clinical advisor for the Ministry, said.
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The recommendations in the DNZ report are consistent with existing national, DHB, and PHO initiatives - including the NZ Health Strategy, the Primary Health Care Strategy, the "Healthy Eating, Healthy Action" Strategy, the government's response to the Health Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes, and the National Health Committee's report Meeting the needs of people with Long Term Conditions.

Dr Dawson said national efforts were also underpinned by district health boards "which all specifically include diabetes in the their individual DHB strategies, and in their District Annual Plans".

"Nationally diabetes is being prioritised, addressed and publicly reported on in the annual Health and Independence Report, in the reports on the Health Eating, Healthy Action programme, and in the national Health Targets programme - with quarterly results available on the Ministry's web site.

"These reports provides us with a good basis for assessing whether we are taking the right approach, and making changes if we think we're not.

"Last year the Minister of Health also introduced a Quality Improvement Planfor diabetes and cardiovascular disease, essentially a three-year plan to implement nationally agreed and co-ordinated priorities in order to improve health outcomes and the quality of care for people with cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes. This includes priorities and action items which match several of the DNZ report's recommendations.

Dr Dawson said the Ministry hd recently revised estimates of the number of people who have had diabetes diagnosed from 130,000 to more than 170,000. " This is an indication of the success of awareness programs, and a tribute to GPs and nurses who are increasingly screening for diabetes as part of cardiovascular risk assessment programs. We expect this to continue to improve as the Primary Health Organisation (PHO) Performance Program is progressively implemented."

"New Zealanders can be assured that their health sector is is very aware of the importance of diabetes, and we are constantly striving to ensure we have the best possible response to it,' he said. "The support of organisations like Diabetes New Zealand - and their local diabetes societies - is hugely important."