TORONTO - Ontario is spending $741 million over the next four years on the fight against diabetes in an effort to head off the growing spate of health problems related to the disease, Health Minister David Caplan said Tuesday.

Come September, more than 1,300 adult Ontario residents with Type-1 diabetes will be eligible to receive free insulin pumps under the initiative, Caplan told a news conference in Toronto.

The plan will also include an online registry beginning next spring that will assist patients in the management of their condition and aid health care providers in checking patient records, he added.

"This tool will give people living with the disease the power to actively manage the disease in partnership with their health care team and providers," Caplan said.

"The end result will be faster diagnosis and faster treatment with Ontarians living with diabetes."

Type-1 diabetics are usually diagnosed during childhood and receive regular insulin shots if they are unable to afford the insulin pumps, which cost thousands of dollars. Children in Ontario under the age of 18 receive the pumps free, if the devices are required.

Evelyn Haalstra, 23, was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes three years ago. Now that she's no longer in school, she's no longer covered by her father's health insurance plan. Her $7,000 pump costs $250 a month for supplies, not including insulin.

"I've stockpiled some supplies to use until I run out, but once that runs out, that's all I have," Haalstra said.

The plan includes a campaign to raise awareness about the causes of diabetes, as well as focused education for higher-risk populations, including those in the aboriginal and south Asian communities.

The number of Ontario residents with diabetes has increased by 69 per cent over the last 10 years and is projected to grow from 900,000 to 1.2 million by 2010.

Karen Philip of the Canadian Diabetes Association said the plan will allow diabetics to better manage their disease and reduce the complications that can result in hospital overcrowding, including strokes and heart and kidney disease.

Still, she cautioned, the new funding is not a quick fix and Type-2 diabetes, which usually develops after childhood, could still increase dramatically as a result of obesity.

"What's really important about (Monday's) announcement is that it's going to control the complications of diabetes, and that's where the cost is," said Philip.

One in ten hospital beds in the province is occupied by a patient either with diabetes or suffering from complications, she added.

Treatment for diabetes and related conditions currently costs Ontario more than $5 billion each year.

A diabetes patient costs Ontario's health care system over $3,000 in the first year of treatment, but that figure increases to more than $5,000 if the patient has complications.