Tuesday, 31 March 2026

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:26): (2457) My adjournment is to the Minister for Health on the need to support people living with diabetes in the upcoming state budget. Through the tireless work of many different groups and individuals, we are continuing to see an improvement in the quality of and access to care for people living with diabetes across Victoria. The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department now has a team of specialist diabetes nurse practitioners available during peak times, as well as emergency physicians, GPs and nurses available 24 hours a day to assist with diabetes-related incidents. Through this service, people living with diabetes anywhere in Victoria can access timely and cost-free urgent care via a video call at vved.org.au. Ambulance Victoria can also respond to call-outs made through the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department. With ambulances equipped with blood ketone level testing kits to check for diabetic ketoacidosis, paramedics can now assess whether care is best managed at home or in hospital. Up until recently most cases of hypoglycaemia were transported to hospital. With new tests and the VVED diabetes program, over 800 patients have been able to avoid hospital and manage their care at home.

As a co-convener of the Parliamentary Friends of People Affected by Diabetes, I commend the work of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations, ACADI, particularly their director Professor Elif Ekinci, for this initiative, along with Diabetes Victoria, Ambulance Victoria, Northern Health and the Royal Flying Doctor Service for making this service a reality. While there is progress being made, there is still much work to do, especially in supporting people with diabetes in rural and regional Victoria. In light of the upcoming state budget, I urge the minister to consider the recent submission made by ACADI focusing on reducing the impact of diabetes and its complications.

Access to insulin pumps also remains an area of concern for many. Through removing the need for multiple daily insulin injections, pumps lead to improved diabetes control, allowing people to better incorporate their diabetes management into their daily lives. While some high-tier private health insurance providers cover an insulin pump, the cost of such a device is too expensive for many – upwards of $10,000. Cost is not the only barrier. I have heard from diabetes educators that delays of between 12 to 18 months to receive a pump are common in regional Victoria. Pump start education support remains stubbornly slow in our stretched healthcare system, and people with diabetes in Northern Victoria as well as the rest of regional Victoria still do not have the same level of support as our metropolitan counterparts. I urge the minister to support the excellent and ongoing work of our diabetes professionals and to address these issues by including funding for priorities to assist people living with diabetes in the state budget.