The Hunter New England region is confronting a severe health crisis as type 2 diabetes cases surge to approximately 90,000 people, with experts describing the situation as part of the biggest epidemic in human history.
The Growing Diabetes Emergency
Alarming new figures reveal that about one in eight people in the Hunter New England area now lives with type 2 diabetes. Thousands more are believed to be undiagnosed and untreated, creating what health professionals term the diabesity epidemic.
Professor Sham Acharya from Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) emphasized the severity of the situation. It adds a lot to hospitalisations and costs to society, he stated, highlighting the condition's substantial impact on regional healthcare systems.
Technology and Education as Solutions
Health authorities are turning to technology and education to combat the escalating crisis. A special type 2 diabetes education event was scheduled at HMRI on Friday to mark World Diabetes Day, organized by the Diabetes Alliance Program Plus.
Laureate Professor Clare Collins from the University of Newcastle is leading efforts to improve access to nutritional support through telehealth services. We're working on a project to make nutrition and dietetics available through telehealth, Professor Collins explained.
The initiative includes the university's No Money No Time website, which provides affordable, healthy recipes and evidence-based nutrition advice to help people manage their condition effectively.
Serious Health Consequences and Disparities
The human cost of diabetes in the region is staggering. Each year, Hunter New England records:
- 1300 to 1500 hospitalisations for type 2 diabetes
- Approximately 250 amputations
- Around 550 deaths directly linked to the condition
Diabetes complications extend to heart disease, kidney problems, blindness, and poor mental health. Professor Acharya noted that 65 per cent of our type 2 diabetes is fuelled by the obesity problem, while genetic factors, medications, and ageing account for the remaining cases.
The epidemic disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities and First Nations people in low socio-economic areas, highlighting significant health inequities across the region.
New Treatments and Systemic Challenges
Emerging medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro offer promising solutions. Professor Acharya revealed that if you take one of the newer weight-loss medications, it is about 95 per cent effective in preventing conversion from prediabetes to diabetes.
However, accessibility remains a major hurdle. The high cost of these drugs and inadequate healthcare resources in regional areas present significant challenges. We are understaffed and the healthcare system is underprepared to face diabetes, Professor Acharya admitted.
The healthcare expert emphasized the need for more primary care staff, specialists, and allied health professionals, particularly in regional communities where access to diabetes care becomes increasingly difficult the further patients live from metropolitan centers.
Prevention and Future Directions
For prevention, Professor Acharya recommends that everyone should try to optimise their weight as much as they can, exercise and eat as nutritiously as possible, and get checked regularly.
The Diabetes Alliance Program, now in its tenth year, continues to educate both patients and general practitioners about effective diabetes management. The program represents a crucial long-term strategy against a health crisis that shows no signs of abating.
As the Hunter region grapples with this escalating health emergency, the combination of technological innovation, new medications, and expanded healthcare resources offers hope for turning the tide against what has become one of Australia's most pressing public health challenges.
