A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) pilot project was just one of the health care announcements made in the 2023 budget.
Newfoundland and Labrador becomes the second Atlantic province to offer coverage for the device which provides diabetics with 24/7 access to their blood sugar levels through their smartphone.
The program will look to provide easier access to CGM technology for the over 170,000 people in the province living with some type of diabetes or prediabetes.
The province did not specify how much money was being put aside for the program, but will be funded by the sugar tax.
Type 1 diabetic and VOCM’s Sara Strickland says CGM’s make a huge difference in stabilizing one’s blood sugar.
She says these devices are able to alert users of abnormal blood sugars in advance, allowing people to avoid a potentially dangerous glucose level. It will be even more important for diabetics who don’t feel symptoms associated with high and low sugars and can eliminate the risk of potentially passing out.
A number of complications are associated with uncontrolled diabetes. According to Diabetes Canada, the disease is expected to cost government $81 million a year by 2032.
According to 2022 data, 30 per cent of strokes, 40 per cent of heart attacks, 50 per cent of kidney failure, and 70 per cent of non-trauma amputations were caused by diabetes complications. Last year, those complications cost the health care system $70 million.
