Thursday, 2 May 2024

Diabetes

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (09:56): Earlier this year I hosted a round table in Bendigo to meet with people living with diabetes, as well as parents, a doctor, an educator and a researcher. Almost 400,000 people in Victoria have been diagnosed with diabetes, and many more are unaware that they have it. All types of diabetes are growing at an unprecedented rate. Around 90 people develop diabetes every day in Victoria, making it the fastest growing chronic condition. Research indicates that 30 to 40 per cent of people admitted to hospital have diabetes. Diabetes is the third leading driver of major health issues in northern Victoria, behind cardiovascular and cancer. Heart attack and stroke are up to four times more likely in people with diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults and a leading cause of kidney failure and amputation. Private care is expensive and public support services are lacking. More needs to be done to empower people with diabetes to self-manage their condition. More hospital admissions could be prevented by having a diabetes educator on call and providing peer support services, especially ones targeted at children. Our health system is buckling. I have seen up to 10 ambulances ramped at Bendigo Health, and it is happening right across the state. It is important that resources are allocated in the coming state budget to preventative health measures to support people with diabetes, to reduce hospital admissions and to reduce the pressure on Victoria’s health system.