Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
NZ First has accused Pharmac of treating vulnerable people like "lab rats" after the Government's drug buying agency switched to a sole provider for diabetes equipment.
Pharmac yesterday announced diabetics would be limited to three types of subsidised glucose-testing meters, which along with testing strips, would be sourced from Korean supplier CareSens.
The move will save the Government $10 million which it says will be reinvested into other medical devices and medicines.
NZ First health spokeswoman Barbara Stewart said the new meters were "untrusted and unknown".
The change would have a dire effect on the elderly who generally struggled with changes in technology and might forgo testing their blood-sugar levels, she warned.
New Zealand couldn't afford to treat its vulnerable like lab rats, she said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7444382/Diabetes-decision-treats-Kiwis-like-lab-rats
Pharmac yesterday announced diabetics would be limited to three types of subsidised glucose-testing meters, which along with testing strips, would be sourced from Korean supplier CareSens.
The move will save the Government $10 million which it says will be reinvested into other medical devices and medicines.
NZ First health spokeswoman Barbara Stewart said the new meters were "untrusted and unknown".
The change would have a dire effect on the elderly who generally struggled with changes in technology and might forgo testing their blood-sugar levels, she warned.
New Zealand couldn't afford to treat its vulnerable like lab rats, she said.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7444382/Diabetes-decision-treats-Kiwis-like-lab-rats
