Queen's Park, November 13, 2018 - "Today students at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School in London West wore blue to walk for diabetes. They walked to honour the legacy of Sir Frederick Banting, who first conceived the research that would lead to the discovery of insulin at Banting House in London.
Since Banting’s groundbreaking discovery, London continues to be a leader in diabetes research and innovation. Last week, St. Joseph’s Health Care launched a new screening tool for diabetic foot ulcers, developed in partnership with the South West LHIN. The tool will allow primary care providers to identify patients at risk of foot ulcers, helping to prevent infection and reducing the number of diabetes-related amputations across the region.
About half of all limbs amputated in Ontario are diabetes-related, and up to 85% of those are preceded by a foot ulcer. It goes without saying that the costs of amputation are high, both human and economic. Tragically, almost 70% of diabetic limb amputees do not survive past five years, and the overall cost of diabetes to the provincial health care system is approximately $1.5 billion every year. An estimated one in three Ontarians already has diabetes or pre-diabetes, and the incidence is increasing rapidly, especially among vulnerable and marginalized communities, who often cannot afford to manage their disease.
Speaker, this November, for Diabetes Awareness Month, I call upon the government to renew the provincial diabetes strategy and move Ontario forward with aggressive targets for diabetes prevention, treatment and awareness."