Diabetics missing out on free annual checks

By BRIDGET CARTER

Thousands of diabetes sufferers are not getting the free annual medical checks promised to them by the Government.

Only half the registered diabetics are getting the checks in Northland, and in other parts of the country the rate is far lower.

About 115,000 people have diabetes and four die from the disease every day.

Diabetes costs the country about $170 million a year, but could cost $1 billion a year by 2021.

In a report on diabetes in Northland, medical experts say they know of nearly 5000 diabetics, but believe there are probably 8000 - 8 per cent of the region's population.

Most have Type 2 diabetes, which is preventable and linked to poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.

The report said last year the Ministry of Health gave enough money for 2288 people to get free diabetes checks in the north, and 2215 people received them.

Of those cases, half were Maori.

The general practice adviser to the Northland District Health Board, Nick Chamberlain, said in some areas such as Otago and Southland most diabetes sufferers were funded for free checks.

"It just seems unfair some areas had high percentages of free checks and in Northland they were much lower," he said.

"Patients won't come in for these checks if they are not fully funded ... If you don't fork out the money, you get all these downstream costs."

But chief clinical adviser for the Ministry of Health Dr Sandy Dawson said how much was spent on diabetes was up to each district health board.

Enough funding was given to each health board last year to give 80 per cent of diabetics in each region free checks. Some boards were underspending.

"Of course you will have to increase the funding for the free checks as people find more people with diabetes."

Dr Chamberlain said the free checks started two years ago as part of a nationwide Government-funded project called Get Checked.

The aim was that everyone who suffered from diabetes could go to their doctor once a year to get a blood test and their feet and eyes examined free.

GPs were paid $40 a check.

More GPs became involved over time in the scheme and more diabetics were detected, but there was no increase in Government funding.

Dr Paul Drury from the Diabetes Centre in Auckland said that in central Auckland the rate of people receiving free checks was nothing like 50 per cent.

The funding was there, but central Auckland was late to sign the Get Checked contract. Some GPs were not offering the checks.

"There is inertia in general practice with the enormous number of things they are expected to do."

Dr Chamberlain said areas where Northland had not met their Ministry of Health targets for diabetes were improving. A diabetes screening pilot project was about to start in Northland to find more of the region's diabetics.

A Waikato District Health Board spokeswoman said a research project was also about to start in Waikato where 8000 people would be surveyed about barriers to diabetes care.

Dr Shane Cross of Broadway Health Centre in Kaikohe said the Get Checked programme worked, but needed time and commitment.

Four years ago, he had about 180 diabetics on his books. Now there were 390.

"There are probably more out there that we have not found," he said.

"A lot of people out there with diabetes just aren't aware of it ... they don't get sick."

Dr Cross blamed high case loads of Type 2 diabetes on poor diet.

"If you look at a place like Kaikohe with the number of fast food places here, you can work out roughly what people's diets are."

Diabetes worries

Northland's Regional Diabetes Team annual report on diabetes said the disease was one of the most serious and extensive health problems in the region.

The 43-page document said:

Northland generally had not achieved its targets for diabetes set by the Ministry of Health, particularly with detecting diabetes, case management and eye screening.

The region had only one diabetic dietician. There was high turnover for the job, which was overwhelming, daunting, morale sapping and involved much travel.

Maori were over-represented as diabetes sufferers and presented with more serious diabetes-related symptoms.

25 per cent of the region's patients admitted to hospital with heart failure had diabetes.