To mark National Diabetes Week, the Australian Government is announcing a new three-year $140 million agreement with Diabetes Australia to continue delivering the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS).

Diabetes directly affects approximately 5 per cent of Australia’s population. Sadly, 80 per cent of people report feeling shame or blame because they have the disease.

This year’s National Diabetes Week – from 11 to 17 July – seeks to address this, by changing the conversation and reducing diabetes-related stigma. 

The NDSS currently supports nearly 1.4 million Australians with diabetes. It delivered more than 5.7 million diabetes products in 2019–20, at a cost of more than $188 million.

The new agreement with Diabetes Australia secures the future of successful programs which are making a real difference for people with diabetes, including:

• KeepSight, a program to help prevent diabetes-related blindness by making it easier for people with diabetes to get their eyes checked
• Diabetes in Schools, which provides nationally consistent information and training for parents and families, principals, school staff and health professionals, so students with type 1 diabetes can be supported to manage their condition at school, and
• FootForward, a new program to help people with diabetes understand the importance of getting their feet checked, to avoid foot problems that can lead to amputation.

Work is also under way on an updated Australian National Diabetes Strategy to outline the national response to diabetes and better coordinate and target existing resources across all levels of government. The strategy will span 2021–2030 and is expected later this year.