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Professor Paul Zimmet Appointed to Government's Diabetes Panel

Media Release

Professor Paul Zimmet, Director Emeritus, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute has been appointed to the Government's expert advisory panel on the proposed $450 million diabetes integrated care scheme.

The panel has been established to provide advice on the development, implementation and evaluation of outcomes for the new programme which Professor Zimmet believes is one of the first globally and will provide a model for other nations.

Professor Zimmet is a member of the Government's Preventative Health Taskforce which delivered a comprehensive set of recommendations on obesity, tobacco and alcohol to the Government in June 2009. The recommendations are designed to combat the rising incidence of non-communicable disease and make Australia one of the healthiest nations by 2020.

Tackling the alarming rise in type 2 diabetes and addressing some of the major risk factors for the disease such as obesity was a critical plank in the Taskforce's recommendations.

Commenting on the establishment of the panel, international diabetes expert, Professor Zimmet, said; "This is a very important development for Australia, with the potential for significant benefit for people with diabetes so it is crucial that we get it right.

"The importance of the program cannot be underestimated given the very high cost of diabetes to the nation and the potential for this program to abate the burden of disease by reducing the devastating complications of diabetes.

"Appointing an interdisciplinary team to work with Government on the implementation of the policy is a positive step in ensuring the best outcome for what is now one of the highest public health priorities in Australia."