Sardinia's legislation on glucose sensors has stalled since 2016. And thousands upon thousands of diabetics living on the island are denied a technology that has become a standard of care elsewhere.
The finger of blame is being pointed at the Region by the FAND (Italian Diabetics Association), through its national vice president, Sardinian Stefano Garau. The data is significant: approximately 120,000 people with diabetes live on the island, one of the highest incidences in Italy. Among these, an estimated 15,000 have type 1 diabetes, approximately 24,000 patients are on intensive insulin therapy, and over 35,000 take insulin.
"Yet, despite these numbers, the Region continues to apply prescription criteria for glucose sensors that have been in place since 2016, and are now outdated in much of the country," Garau attacks. Today, he explains, "around 16,000 Sardinians use a sensor to monitor their blood glucose, but access is limited almost exclusively to patients who take at least three insulin injections a day. This means that thousands of people who take insulin remain excluded from a technology that is now a standard of care."
The most recent scientific indications point in a completely different direction, according to the association. The new guidelines published in October 2025 by the Italian National Institute of Health recommend the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for all patients on insulin therapy, including those treated with basal insulin alone.
"These are often fragile patients," Garau continues, "who, without adequate tools, are at greater risk of complications, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. It's paradoxical that, in a region with such a high prevalence of diabetes, we continue to use outdated criteria."
In recent years, clinical experience and numerous scientific studies have demonstrated that continuous blood glucose monitoring allows for much more effective disease control, reducing acute episodes and improving the quality of life of people with diabetes.
