Laois TD and Minister for Justice & Equality, Charlie Flanagan, has welcomed the news of the HSE’s decision to reimburse Freestyle Libre for children and young adults.
Speaking this morning, Minister Flanagan stated: “I very much welcome this news.
“Over the past number of months I have been contacted by a number of young adults and parents of young children in the constituency who have diabetes and I conveyed their concerns directly to the Minister for Health.
“In Ireland, almost 190,000 people live with diabetes. This is a chronic disease that takes a lot of management, but over the past few years, we have made huge strides in treating and managing diabetes in Ireland.
“The Freestyle Libre is an innovative device which will allow blood glucose levels to be monitored without invasive finger prick testing. This will be very welcome news for both parents and children.
“I am aware of some constituents who have to test their glucose levels up to ten times a day and I hope that inconvenience and discomfort can be minimised for as many children and young adults as possible.
“This is another very positive step in the management of diabetes, along with the Diabetes Cycle of Care. The Cycle of Care allows adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes, who hold a medical card or GP visit card, to be managed in the community, by their own GP and practice nurse, rather than in a hospital clinic.
Concluding Minister Flanagan stated: “The HSE will now make arrangements for the reimbursement of Freestyle Libre on an individual basis where specific criteria are satisfied in line with the recommendations of the Health Technology Assessment Group and I look forward to its being available for patients in the coming months.”
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