WA diabetics are calling for better access to life-changing medical technology for people with all types of diabetes.

Continuous glucose monitoring devices are worn on either the abdomen or the upper arm and deliver automatic 24/7 readings, replacing the need to finger prick.

They can cost up to hundreds of dollars per month but some type 1 diabetics are eligible for a subsidy that makes them free under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS).

No-one with type 2 diabetes is eligible for the subsidy, despite 87 per cent of diabetics in Australia having that type.

Diabetes advocate Lauren Cusack says that’s unfair.

“If you live with type 2 diabetes, and many of these people will be using insulin, they don’t get the same access, but they still experience the same safety concerns and the same hypos and hypers that people living with type 1 do,” she says.

“So why aren’t we subsidising that for them? It’s going to have such a huge impact on their health and how they can manage their diabetes.”

Ms Cusack was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost seven years ago and says there is a huge stigma associated with type 2 diabetes.

“There’s a huge genetic predisposition which most people don’t realise – no-one chooses diabetes and they shouldn’t be unable to access subsidised technology that’s going to help make their management easier just because of the type of diabetes they have,” she says.

Ms Cusack’s workplace, PDC Health Hub, has launched a petition calling for equitable access to diabetes technology.

CGM devices sense the glucose levels in the fluid between a person’s cells, alerting diabetics via a mobile app if their glucose levels are steady, rising or falling.

Curtin University diabetes educator Amanda Cheong-Duryea says the technology can be life-changing for many diabetics.

“I see people thriving from being able to have a much more flexible approach to the way they can eat, joining in on social occasions, and these are the things people take for granted, but they are extremely important to one’s quality of life,” she says.

Layla Clarkson-Eather was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes almost four years ago.

“I think we need to reduce the stigma [because] diabetes isn’t always someone who is obese and eats unhealthy – it can happen to anyone really,” she says.

“When you’re working you can’t always prick your finger; it’s just easier to grab your phone and check your sugars.

“The government should really do more.”