The Herald Sun reported on July 1 that starting from Friday, a new technology will save all Australian Type 1 diabetes patients thousands of Australian dollars and allow them to measure their blood sugar using their mobile phones. About 128,000 patients, including 32,470 Victoria

The Herald Sun reported on July 1 that

Starting from Friday, a new technology will save all patients with type 11 diabetes in Australia thousands of Australian dollars,

and allow them to use their mobile phones to measure their blood sugar.

About 128,000 patients, including 32,470 Victorians, can save more than $2,000 a year thanks to government subsidies for smartphone continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Earlier this year, before the federal government committed to funding CGM technology, CGM users were spending more than AU$3,500 (RMB17,500) a year.

(Picture source: "Herald Sun")

Previously, part of the subsidy covered part of the cost for people under the age of 21 and women preparing for pregnancy. The cost of the sensor was A$70 per week, and people had to pay out of their own pockets.

But now all Australians only need to pay 30 Australian dollars (RMB150 yuan) per month,

or about 360 Australian dollars (RMB1300 yuan) per year.

It is crucial for people with diabetes to have regular daily assessments, often obtained by drawing blood from a finger prick.

But the FreeStyle Libre 2 is the smallest CGM model available in Australia and allows people to use the FreeStyle LibreLink app to scan a small sensor on the back of their arm with their smartphone without having to draw blood.

It also comes with an alarm that sounds when people's glucose levels are too high or too low.

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute Associate Professor Neale Cohen said the subsidy would benefit thousands of Australians who have been unable to afford the technology for years since it was developed in 2017.

He said: "We have been advocating for quite some time that this be included in the National Diabetes Service. Now we have a situation where readings are taken every five minutes, including overnight. We can see fluctuations in the levels and we can look to patterns we never knew existed.”

Traralgon’s Steve Leatham has lived with type 1 diabetes for more than 20 years.

He said: "I wish I didn't have to spend so much money on a CGM for daily use. I prick my finger five or six times a day. Because it (FreeStyle Libre 2) is non-invasive and easy to use, I can easily use it every day 15 to 20 times, just to make sure the levels are normal without needing to draw blood.”

The patient’s data is stored in this app, (Australia’s largest Internet celebrity Douyin account “Wei Sydney” takes you through Australia. Interesting things in life! A must for studying abroad, traveling and immigrating! Please search "Micro Sydney" on Douyin, we are waiting for you!)

Doctors and family members can access this application when needed.

Leatham said this would save him from traveling to metropolitan Melbourne for appointments.

This policy is really good. Diabetics are blessed ~