No subsidies for glucose monitoring devices now because not all patients benefit

We thank Mr Russell Hood for his letter “Make glucose monitoring devices affordable for diabetes patients” (March 19).

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices can indeed be expensive. However, many users, unlike Mr Hood and for various reasons, do not benefit from using them. As a result, from a population health point of view, their cost-effectiveness has been uncertain and hence subsidies have not been extended to CGM devices.

That said, the Agency for Care Effectiveness is further reviewing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of CGMs. This also gives the agency an opportunity, and where appropriate, to negotiate with suppliers to bring prices down to more cost-effective levels. 

These are all parts of the Ministry of Health’s overall strategy to keep healthcare affordable and healthcare costs sustainable.

Lee Yi Min
Director (Subsidy and Subvention)
Healthcare Finance Group
Ministry of Health