Perth, Australia, 9th March 2022- West Australians affected by Type 1 diabetes have urged medical authorities to prioritise access to the latest insulin delivery system at a community meeting at the Australian Institute of Management in Floreat Perth.
The meeting was hosted by the Federal Member for Curtin, Ms Celia Hammond, and attended by the local diabetes community.
One of the key points of discussion was the Omnipod DASH System, which is currently available on the private market. The Omnipod DASH system is a tubeless, wearable and waterproof insulin management system recently made available in Australia. Despite its private launch and subsequent positive reviews from various parts of the Australian health system, users of the Omnipod DASH system are still waiting for the device to be reimbursed via the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS).
Type 1 diabetes represents a $2.9 billion AUD annual cost to the economy, with findings that diabetes complications exponentially add to the price of managing type 1 diabetes. 75% of the annual cost is made up by the 40% of people who experience complications from the disease.1 Technology makes a significant impact to reduce the risk associated with diabetes and helps control related complications in the day-to-day management of glucose and insulin levels.
Local WA resident with Type 1 Diabetes, Eliza Weir has been publicly advocating for better access to helpful diabetes management technologies. Ms Weir was keen to hear when the Omnipod DASH system would be made more accessible to the wider diabetes community.
“With Omnipod DASH, I can live life completely normally and I don’t have a constant reminder that I am attached to a device by a cord. It has allowed my lifestyle to become more flexible, easier and manageable.” said Ms Weir.
The Omnipod DASH system works in conjunction with the Bluetooth enabled Omnipod DASH Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM), allowing users to effectively manage their insulin levels in a discreet and simple manner. The system can carry up to three days of insulin delivery for users, helping to lessen the burden of daily insulin injections. By being reimbursed on the NDSS, the Omnipod DASH system will become more accessible and affordable to the wider diabetes community.
