The Wire

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced $436 million dollars of new funding for diabetes sufferers today. In an attempt to keep people with diabetes out of hospitals, the new funding will pay doctors in general practice around $1,200 a year on average for every enrolled diabetes patient they see. The idea is to help people with diabetes manage their own care better through improved access to additional services such as care from a dietician or physiotherapist, and the development by their GP of a personalised care plan. Practices that improve the health outcomes for people with diabetes will then receive an additional payment of around $10,800 a year. But the announcement has received mixed responses.