By KEVIN BISSETT
The Canadian Press
Excerpts:
A research project intended to improve the care of patients with Type 2 diabetes was launched in New Brunswick on Wednesday.
"Diabetes is a major health issue in Canada and around the world," said Health Minister Mike Murphy.
"The cost to the Canadian health-care system is estimated at $9 billion a year and it's expected to rise as more people are diagnosed with diabetes," he told a news conference.
"The overall incidence of diabetes in Canada and worldwide is expected to double by 2030. Already there are almost 50,000 people in New Brunswick diagnosed with diabetes."
"Our goals are to slow (to a) halt and even prevent progression of this disease and its complications such as heart disease and kidney disease," she said.
A software program will be used to collect patient information from 40 doctors and make recommendations for care.
She said the number of cases of diabetes is increasing rapidly, and the health-care system must come
up with new ways to address the disease.
"In Canada the driving forces for this epidemic are an aging population, increasing sedentary lifestyles which obviously leads to increasing obesity rates, and as a parent, the most sobering is the growing incidence of this disease in children," she said.
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