Australians are being provided free well being checks at their native Priceline Pharmacy this Nationwide Diabetes Week (13–19 July) in an effort to strengthen efforts to forestall kind 2 diabetes.
Performed on a digital well being station, checks are free, self-service, and take as little as 5 minutes to finish. The Well being Stations will be present in over 300 collaborating Priceline Pharmacies, giving individuals a fast and straightforward option to test their kind 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and metabolic well being dangers, with prompt outcomes. Diabetes Australia Group CEO Justine Cain stated the initiative has the potential to save lots of hundreds of lives and ease rising stress on the well being system.
“There are 1.3 million Australians residing with kind 2 diabetes and one other 500,000 residing with silent, undiagnosed kind 2 diabetes,” Ms Cain stated.
“Worryingly, there are one other 2 million people who find themselves at excessive danger of growing kind 2 diabetes. A easy, free test may very well be the distinction between early detection and a life-threatening diabetes complication like a coronary heart assault or stroke.
“Regardless of the position that genetics and household historical past play in diabetes, we all know that as much as 58 per cent of kind 2 diabetes circumstances will be prevented or delayed via way of life modifications. A well being test is a sensible approach to assist Australians perceive their danger and enhance their well being.
“This Nationwide Diabetes Week we wish to spotlight the significance of prevention and early prognosis of kind 2 diabetes and the prevention of issues from all forms of diabetes.
“These are critically essential to guard the well being of Australians now and into the long run.”
Priceline Pharmacy Nationwide Pharmacy Assist Supervisor, Mel Gannon, stated: “Pharmacies are one of the vital accessible healthcare touchpoints in Australia, and at Priceline Pharmacy, we take that duty critically. Early intervention saves lives, and all of it begins with understanding your numbers.”
Lee Chinprahust, 34, is a bodily energetic safety analyst from Sydney. 5 years in the past, he began feeling unusually drained so visited his GP. It was a easy step that had a profound influence.
A routine blood take a look at confirmed Lee had kind 2 diabetes. Additional checks revealed hypertension and excessive ldl cholesterol, warning indicators that usually go unnoticed. “I wasn’t anticipating it,” Lee stated. “However catching it early gave me the possibility to take management earlier than issues grew to become extra severe.”
Now 34, Lee has change into a robust advocate for prevention and early intervention. He’s managing his situation with metformin, a nutritious diet, and common train. His newest HbA1c result’s 6 %, which is an indication of wholesome administration. “It’s all concerning the decisions you make as soon as you recognize what you’re coping with,” he says. “However first, it is advisable know.”
Pictured above on the press convention to launch Nationwide Diabetes Week 2025 are Mel Gannon, Justine Cain, and Lee Chinprahust on the Priceline World Sq. Pharmacy in Sydney.
The Priceline Well being Stations can establish dangers components for heart problems and diabetes, comparable to hypertension, shortly and simply.
The well being test initiative comes after Diabetes Australia reported up to date financial modelling exhibiting all forms of diabetes are actually costing the well being system an estimated $9.1 billion yearly, virtually thrice greater than beforehand reported.
New evaluation by Diabetes Australia, utilizing up to date prevalence information and the most recent worldwide proof, highlights the true scale of the sort 2 diabetes disaster.
“Type 2 diabetes is without doubt one of the greatest well being challenges going through Australia. Each 8 minutes, somebody is identified with kind 2 diabetes. If we don’t act now, as much as 3.2 million Australians may very well be residing with kind 2 diabetes by 2050. It’s not all preventable, however the place it’s we have to take robust motion,” Ms Cain stated.
“Behind the well being prices are thousands and thousands of Australians going through severe issues like stroke, coronary heart illness and imaginative and prescient loss. We should do extra to forestall these issues as a lot as attainable.”
Ms Cain stated whereas Australia has made progress in different areas of illness prevention, comparable to breast most cancers and melanoma, diabetes has not acquired the identical stage of nationwide consideration.
“Australia is lagging behind different nations in the case of kind 2 diabetes prevention. We’d like a robust, coordinated public well being response,” she stated.
“That features training campaigns, higher meals labelling, school-based initiatives and improved entry to prevention and early intervention providers.
Diabetes Australia is asking on governments to behave urgently, with elevated funding in community-based prevention and consciousness applications to ease the rising burden on Australia’s well being system.
“Free checks are an essential first step, however they have to be a part of an even bigger, long-term technique to deal with this nationwide kind 2 diabetes epidemic.”
To search out your nearest Priceline Pharmacy Well being Station, go to:
https://portal.sisuhealthgroup.com/find-health-stations
About Diabetes Australia
Diabetes Australia is the nationwide organisation supporting all individuals residing with or susceptible to diabetes. We put individuals first. We work in collaboration with member organisations, shoppers, well being professionals, state-based diabetes organisations, researchers and the neighborhood.
For extra info go to: www.diabetesaustralia.com.au
