If Malta’s health authorities doubled the number of free glucose testing strips given to type 1 diabetics, they would save money in the long run. This is according to Nancy Formosa, who noted in a paper published in the Malta Medical Journal that better monitoring would prevent complications, and the financial savings from this prevention would be incalculable.
In Malta currently, type 1 diabetes patients receive 50 free testing strips every 28 days. However, to meet the ideal requirements of testing themselves at least four times a day, diabetes patients would require 112 strips over that period, and buying the extra strips affects the financial wellbeing of some families, Dr Formosa said. ‘Such a change in free glucose test-strip entitlement would increase the cost for the Department of Health from 57c per patient per day to €1.28 per patient per day but the financial savings from a reduction of longer-term diabetes-related complications… in terms of provisions of healthcare and social services would be incalculable,’ she concluded in her paper.
According to Malta Diabetes Association president Anna Zammit McKeon, her organisation has long been calling for more free strips, as they help patients to adjust therapy and assess the responses to therapy. On their own, patients can immediately see how an action has impacted upon their wellness, and take prompt action to counteract it. Ms Zammit McKeon said ‘It is useless to monitor diabetes unless the monitoring is regular… you need to be able to spot any fluctuations,’ adding that she knew of people who found buying the strips, which cost €30 per pack of 50, too expensive.
A few years ago, the Government had extended the 50 free monthly strips to all type 1 diabetics, something that was previously only available to patients under 36. The association is now lobbying for free strips for type 2 diabetics, and wish to be consulted when the Government selects which glucose meter that processes the strip’s readings, because some are more effective than others.
Based mainly on literature reviews, Dr Formosa’s study looked into the blood glucose monitoring in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. She said her research demonstrated “a significant link” between self-monitoring of blood glucose and effectiveness in controlling diabetes. ‘However, a significant number complain that, although they accept regular blood glucose monitoring as necessary, it imposes a considerable financial burden on their families,’ she added.
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