Protest for diabetes treatment of children

500 people demonstrated for the reimbursement of health insurance for short-acting insulin analogues in type I diabetes.

(24.05.2010) Around 500 people followed the call of the non-profit diabetic association "diabetesDE" and demonstrated for the reimbursement of the health insurance of short-acting insulin analogues for children and adolescents who suffer from type I diabetes. Envoys of the protest march handed over a petition with over 5000 signatures in the Federal Ministry of Health. The demonstration was supported by parents' initiatives, doctors and support groups.

Background of the protest is a current opinion procedure of the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA). The G-BA recently stated in a report that there was allegedly no reason to reimburse the costs of short-acting insulin analogues for Diabtes type I patients from the statutory health insurance. If this decision becomes law, the patients treated with it must be switched to human insulin.

25,000 children in Germany are suffering from diabetes type-I. About half of the young patients use the short-acting analogue insulin.
Approximately 25,000 children and adolescents in Germany suffer from type 1 diabetes. Over half of the sick young patients in Germany use the short-acting analogue insulin. The young people can make their daily routine as flexible as possible. Especially children need a lot of opportunities for development and freedom. Due to the rapid onset of action of the short-acting insulin analogues, sports activities and games can be perceived quickly and spontaneously. Children with insulin pump therapy can administer the appropriate dose several times a day at the push of a button. This makes the day child-friendly and flexible. So explained Professor med. Thomas Danne of "diabetesDE" and president of the German Diabetes Society: "For most families, the analog insulin out of pocket is not affordable, but to convert all children to the reimbursable human insulin, would be associated with complications."

Hopes for further financing of analoginsulin.
But there are hopes that the Federal Ministry of Health will not follow the recommendations of the G-BA. Already in 2008, the Ministry of Health had evaluated a switch to other insulins as "unreasonable for sick children and their parents". This partially contradicted the recommendations of the B-BA. In a renewed opinion of the Federal Joint Committee in February 2010 was again argued that the analog insulin is more expensive than the human insulin therapy. For this reason, the analoginsulin treatment should no longer be reimbursed, the Federal Committee. But the organizers of the demonstrators are pleased with the active participation of many people from all over Germany and consider the demonstration a success. "The austerity policy can not be at the expense of those who are already suffering from the chronic disease diabetes type I in their early years," Dr. Dietrich Garlichs, Managing Director of "diabetesDE". A public statement from the Federal Ministry of Health is expected for the coming week. (Sb)

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