The Ontario Diabetes Strategy

The Ontario Government is investing $741 million in new funding on a comprehensive diabetes strategy over four years to prevent, manage and treat diabetes. 

Funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario’s diabetes strategy will help tackle a growing – and expensive – health care challenge.

The number of Ontarians with diabetes has increased by 69 per cent over the last 10 years – and is projected to grow from 900,000 to 1.2 million by 2010. Treatment for diabetes and related conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease currently cost Ontario over $5 billion each year.

The strategy includes an online registry that will enable better self-care by giving patients access to information and educational tools that empower them to manage their disease. The registry will also give health care providers the ability to easily check patient records, access diagnostic information and send patient alerts.  

Other key elements of the strategy include:

• Improving access to insulin pumps and supplies for more than 1,300 adults with type 1 diabetes by funding these services for people over the age of 18.
• Expanding chronic kidney disease services, including greater access to dialysis services.
• Implementing a strategy to expand access to bariatric surgery. 
• Educational campaigns to prevent diabetes by raising awareness of diabetes risk factors in high risk populations, such as the Aboriginal and South Asian communities.
• Increasing access to team-based care closer to home by mapping the prevalence of diabetes across the province and the location of current diabetes programs in order to align services and address service gaps.