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By kristalamb
Posted date: April 17, 2019
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The Standing Committee on Health (all Party) for the Canadian House of Commons has just released its report, A Diabetes Strategy For Canada. Over the course of six meetings held in the spring and fall of 2018, the Committee heard from 32 witnesses and received 12 briefs.  Of these meeting Diabetes Action Canada alongside patient advocacy groups (Diabetes Canada, JDRF, Canadian Indigenous Nursing Association), health care providers, and people living with diabetes, discussed the current health care issues experiences by those living with diabetes and presented staggering evidence to support a coordinated and overarching framework to improve diabetes management and patient experiences.  Minutes from the meetings attended by Diabetes Action Canada can be found here and here.

 

The report released by Committee includes a list of recommendations to the Government of Canada, to enable better prevention of type-2 diabetes and more support to all people living with diabetes. Of the eleven recommendations, several are particularly relevant to the mission of Diabetes Action Canada and the research projects underway.  Below is a brief summary of these recommendations to inform our future direction as we look to the next phase of our Network:

 Recommendation 1:

The Government of Canada, in partnership with the provinces and territories, and in collaboration with stakeholders such as Diabetes Canada, plan and implement an approach to the prevention and management of diabetes in Canada through a national diabetes strategy, as outlined in Diabetes Canada’s Diabetes 360°: A Framework for a Diabetes Strategy for Canada. The partnership should facilitate the creation of Indigenous-specific strategic approaches led and owned by any Indigenous groups wishing to embrace this framework.

Recommendation 2:

As part of the national diabetes strategy, the Government of Canada, in partnership with the provinces and territories, and in collaboration with stakeholders such as Diabetes Canada:

  • explore options for establishing a national diabetes registry for people living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes;
  • explore options to reduce diabetes-related stigma; and
  • explore options to improve public awareness and education on diabetes, particularly through community programming, including public awareness of the relationship between nutrition and diabetes.

Recommendation 3:

That the Government of Canada provide funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for research into preventing and treating type 1 and type 2 diabetes

Recommendation 9:

The Government of Canada hold discussions with the provinces and territories to explore possible approaches to improving access to health care for individuals living with diabetes in rural, remote and northern communities.

To access the full report by the Committee please visit here.  To learn more about the activities of the Standing Committee on Health please visit their site here.


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