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Diabetes Care in Australia
Currently, only specialists provide diabetes care in Australia, although the Ministry of Health in New South Wales is beginning to look at the role of primary care in treating patients with diabetes.

The rate of diabetes among Aboriginal people is high and growing. This is due in large part to changes in diet, as aboriginal people have become more a part of mainstream culture in Australia.

Diabetes care for Aboriginal people is poor due to limited resources and a lack of trained physicians within this population.

Staged Diabetes Management Update
The crisis in diabetes care among aboriginal people is of great concern to the Ministry of Health in the State of New South Wales. Deputy Secretary of Health, Dr. Steven Boyages, has asked International Diabetes Center to help New South Wales develop a diabetes care program for the Aboriginal population.

The current plan is to bring a team of physicians from the Australian state to International Diabetes Center to study SDM for implementation with Aboriginal people. If the program is successful, it will be expanded for use with the rest of the state's population.