People with medical cards who have type 2 diabetes can now have their condition thoroughly reviewed twice a year by their GP, it has been announced.

The new Diabetes Cycle of Care service is available to type 2 diabetes patients who have full or GP-visit medical cards. It is estimated that around 70,000 people are eligible for this.

Currently, around 190,000 people in Ireland have diabetes, 85% of whom have type 2 diabetes. An estimated 35,000 are affected but remain undiagnosed.

As part of this new service, qualifying patients will visit their GP twice a year for a full structured review of their condition, including blood results, blood pressure assessment, a medication review, body mass index measurement and a symptomatic foot review.

Diabetes Ireland, the national charity for those affected, said it is ‘delighted' to see the launch of this service.

"The ability to have two diabetes management reviews each year will no doubt help detect any related health issues much sooner, enabling earlier intervention and thus improving quality of care for the individual," commented Diabetes Ireland chairperson, Prof Hilary Hoey.

However, she insisted that this service ‘must be extended to all people with type 2 diabetes as soon as possible'.

Speaking about the service, John Hennessy, national director of the HSE Primary Care Division, described it as ‘the first step we are taking towards extending programmes of care for the management of chronic diseases in primary care'.

"Some 31,000 patients are already registered by 900 GPs for this new service and I would like to encourage GPs to continue to register their patients as soon as they can," he said.

The number of people with diabetes is expected to jump by 60% over the next 10-15 years, a reflection of a number of factors including an ageing population and an increasingly sedentary population.

Commenting on the service, Health Minister, Leo Varadkar, said that it is ‘a major step forward'.

"It allows patients with type 2 diabetes to be managed in the community by their own GP and practice nurse who they know, rather than in a hospital clinic where they might have to queue for hours to see a different doctor each time. This is better for patients and it also frees up hospital resources for more complex cases," he noted.