Hansard

I, too, thank David Stewart for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate this evening, and I congratulate him and Nanette Milne on the work that they do in the cross-party group on diabetes.

As the motion states, Friday is world diabetes day, which is led by the International Diabetes Federation. It will be the 23rd world diabetes day.

Diabetes poses serious concerns to one’s health. I have type 2 diabetes, although I do not suffer from it. I am one of the 238,750 people in Scotland who are in the same position, all rattling round Scotland to the tune of Metformin and other like tablets. I like to think that I complement or avoid that with my five a day, augmented by a daily bowl of porridge, cholesterol-lowering spread and 15 minutes of exercise every day. However, that does not hide the fact that I am diabetic. I know that my slimline figure would deny it, but that is the harsh fact, and had I lived less healthily and been subject to the oppression of deprivation, I would have been in a terrible place. That is why I welcome the call, yet again, to focus on the issue.

Diabetes affects people in areas of deprivation disproportionately. The deprivation rates in areas of Scotland vary from 7.9 per cent to 26 per cent, and those in the most deprived areas have reduced life expectancy, higher smoking rates and, unfortunately, lower engagement with the health services. That has to change. I applaud the nurses who are with us in the public gallery today, because 12 per cent of the in-patient budget goes on treating diabetes.

I believe that the Scottish Government’s action plan and the impending diabetes improvement plan will help strategically with the need to address the problem by promoting self-management of the condition through effective education, minimising the impact of potentially serious complications, increasing the availability of intensive insulin treatment for people with type 1 diabetes, as Aileen McLeod mentioned, and creating a stronger emphasis on screening and prevention of diabetes.

I again congratulate David Stewart and Nanette Milne on their unstinting efforts in pursuit of promoting the need for doctors to use the tools that are available to them to ensure that everyone with diabetes in Scotland receives timely data on matters affecting their condition. I confirm personally the regular demands to attend retinopathy tests, and I have on my desk a card that allows me to test my diabetes condition and cholesterol levels on the internet.

The early identification of diabetes is key and I welcome the work of the Scotland diabetes group and others to deliver that. There must be an emphasis on education, accessibility and services in the area. The best way to tackle the growing epidemic of diabetes is to tackle the issue in childhood, so I commend the live for it! joint venture between Diabetes Scotland and the Edinburgh international science festival. So far, the project has worked in 18 schools and reached 1,191 pupils. The programme is designed to tackle childhood obesity and ties into the health and wellbeing area of the curriculum for excellence. It is delivered in schools in areas of high deprivation, which is important.

The world diabetes day campaign underpins all that. The slogan “Diabetes: protect our future” will raise the profile of the 2014 campaign, which focuses on healthy living.

I hope and believe that, with all the emphasis on raising awareness and the support of people such as those we have with us in the public gallery, the message will get through more and more strongly. I welcome this evening’s debate.