Funded insulin pumps ?wonderful news?

[Northerner]

Pharmac's entry into buying and funding insulin pumps is "wonderful news", according to Diabetes New Zealand president Chris Baty.

The move has been overshadowed by fears around changes to funded blood glucose meters and test trips, Ms Baty says (>>nzdoctor.co.nz, 'News', 6 March).
Link to patients take pharmac to task over glucose meters

She welcomes the plan to end DHB variability and start a national scheme for insulin pumps and consumables.

Only a few DHBs have been funding them for patients, Ms Baty says.

http://www.nzdoctor.co.nz/news/2012/march-2012/08/funded-insulin-pumps-“wonderful-news”.aspx

 

[Abi]

It's good news then for would be pumpers
I read the criiteria on the pharmac website and they are not disimilar to NICE but I think they are very strict about pulling pumps if a certain reduction in Hba1c or hypos isn't met. Which I can understand to a certain extent but what if overall hypo frequency isn't reduced but frequency of readings < 3 is so existing hypos are less debilitating. HbA1c is a pretty crude measurement of diabetes control and does not take into account the psychological damage of being on MDI and having whole days of struggling to get as low as 10 and othe days having several hypos due to inability to fine tune basal or variations in absorption from day to day

I always ask myself, if someone's pump is removed due to lack of improvement in control will it be given back if control gets even worse following return to injections- and what choice of insulin will the patient be given in event of enforced return to injections / what guidance to get the best out of mdi
I know lantus is available in NZ- wonder if they have the choice of levemir and isophance plus older animal insulins as well

Having said that I am surprised in my loccality by the number of kids on pumps who still have apalling control and are allowed to remain on them- when the cause is lack of monitoring, refusing to bolus at school and to some extent I think poor education and a lack of handover of responsibilty or building confidence of the patient or carer to adjust their own insulin

I suppose they must have confidence in this particular manufacturer if they are going over to one brand of meter
I bought a caresens and it tend to read about 20 to 30% higher than my contour. It's worrying- either I'm running considerabley higher than I think and having "false " hypos when still in the 5s or the caresens is potentially a little inaccurate to be safe. I doubt if someone became hypo unaware or needed third party assistance and as a result sustained an injury or lost driving license/ employment due to inaccurate equipment, they would be entitled to any compensation