Sadly with an HBA1C of 6.9 I am told I have to continue injecting 5 times a day because my control is good, so if you want a pump (funded) you have to have bad control *sighs*, or under special circumstances such as a female wanting to have kids.

What does this mean for people like me who are looking to buy a pump within the next 6 months? I currently have a loan pump for my pregnancy but will have this whipped away from me 6 wks after I deliver in December. Should I be holding off to see what eventuates? Do we have any dea who Pharmac will be using as providers?

T1’s, what do you recommend, buy or hold off?

Maybe this means that the system will still be as it is now regarding insulin pumps being provided/loaned except now instead of each DHB being responsible for purchasing them or fundraising for them, Pharmac will now take over that side of it.

I hope it means more pumps available but I’m not going to hold my breath! Too late for us now anyway….we bought our own.

I’m not sure this is good news to be honest, I have a feeling it could actually make it more difficult to get a funded pump for those who want one.

Pharmac isn’t exactly known for it’s generosity when it comes to diabetes, look how long it took to get Lantus on schedule, and even now it’s by special authority only for those who experience regular hypos [although I heard this is changing, probably because I imagine every endo out there takes their patients word that they are having "qualifiying" hypos anyway, after informing them of exactly what qualifies...]

I’d be worried that with Pharmac holding the purse strings on pump funding, which till now has come direct from DHB budgets, that we might see Pharmac making it much more difficult for DHBs to get the pumps.

I saw my specialist at greenlane the other week and I was told Lantus no longer requires special authority…so all good now

Just another thought – would this also mean that Pharmac will decide which pumps they will cover so will go for the cheapest one available, regardless of whether they are the best option or not?

Debs – I understand that it would involve a tender process whereby Pharmac would put out a tender to pump companies and then choose the best (most attractive aka cheapest, I should imagine) ‘package’.

Unfortunately if pumps did become funded through Pharmac, there would have to be criteria for T1’s to meet in order to qualify, just like with any drug. The biggest factor I should imagine would be HbA1c’s and you know what, it’s simple to get a higher one if that’s what it takes for a few months! I’d do it!

It’s also good to note that when I put forward my campaign to get pumps/consumables funded in March to the Health Ministers and the Pharmac CEO, that Matthew Brougham (Pharmac CEO) was the only response that sounded somewhat positive about pump funding in the future. (His reponse letter is on my Pump Funding facebook page under albums – http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Seeking-Govenment-Funding-for-Insulin-Pumps-for-all-type-1-Diabetics-in-NZ/115271811973?ref=ts)

Sarah – it might not happen for a wee while yet but I have faith it will happen at somepoint. This article outlines a huge change in how they view our disease and I think it is a step in the right direction! It was the Ministerial Review Group who outlined the idea last year in their annual review that pumping devices should be funded and Pharmac/MoH didn’t have to live up to that recommendation, but have now obviously which is great news! So yes, I would hold off!!

Interesting though that Tony Ryall has responded in this article as it was his advisement to my campaign document that pump funding was Tariana Turia’s portfolio of responsibility… I hope she is following suit, but I guess she must be?!!!

Thanks Nic for finding this article – it’s made me alot more hopeful!