AvSec and Diabetes NZ team up to provide guidance for people living with diabetes

The New Zealand Aviation Security Service (AvSec) has joined forces with Diabetes New Zealand to produce guidance on what to expect at airport security for people living with diabetes.

Natalie Dette, a volunteer committee member for Diabetes New Zealand Wellington youth helped with creating the imagery for the guidance.

The online brochure aims to educate and prepare people living with diabetes before arriving at the airport. It includes relevant tips, explanations of the screening process, and helpful information.

Security screening can bring uncertainty for travellers with medical conditions, due to restrictions on medication, whether screening equipment will impact medical devices, and what happens if an officer needs to inspect a device or other related items. The brochure aims to address uncertainty, making the screening process stress-free and set expectations from the beginning.

This guidance comes after Diabetes New Zealand reached out to AvSec to produce an informative product to support their community.

“We received feedback from our community that their experience at airport security was not as smooth or as positive as it could be. We approached AvSec to see whether they would work with us on a resource to reassure and educate people travelling with medical devices about what they can expect as they move through our airports.

Happily, AvSec were open to a collaboration and have been a fantastic partner throughout the process, taking time to understand the specific situations the diabetes community faces and welcoming our advice,” said Heather Verry, Chief Executive Diabetes New Zealand.

AvSec encourages everyone to communicate openly about their situation with an Aviation Security Officer (ASO) at the earliest opportunity. ASOs are trained to handle a wide range of scenarios that deviate from the standard procedure, including situations involving medical devices.

“We know security screening can be daunting, particularly for people with medical devices. There’s a common concern about how those devices interact with our equipment,” says AvSec’s General Manager, Mark Wheeler.

Medical devices can pass through the walk through metal detector, however, they can’t be taken into the body scanners or x-ray machines. Our officers are here to help, and we have procedures to deal with all types of situations.

I appreciate Diabetes New Zealand leading this initiative and we’re proud to support it. I hope the resource assists people on their journeys.”

For more information about the brochure and to access a copy, please visit the AvSec website.