20 Mar 2013

Counties Manukau DHB aware of diabetes challenge

9:15 pm on 20 March 2013

The Counties Manukau District Health Board says it's aware of the major challenges it faces with increasing diabetes and associated health conditions.

Counties Manukau has 31,000 people with the condition - more than any other DHB.

Chief executive Geraint Martin told Parliament's health select committee the DHB's population is hard to reach, and type 2 diabetes is on the rise.

But Mr Martin says efforts to identify high users of its services and teach them how to manage the disease better at home are improving.