The family of a six-year-old girl has won the fight for a life-changing diabetes treatment after being told by health chiefs it was too costly to administer.

Rebekah Machray suffers from Type 1 diabetes, caused by a deficiency of insulin, making her dependent on her parents and teachers for her five daily insulin injections by syringe.

The treatment is vital for maintaining her blood glucose levels.

Her parents Jane, 29, and Mark, 37, say this manual method is ineffective in stabilising her condition, raising fears she could fall into a coma or suffer serious health problems in future such as blindness or kidney problems.

The couple asked NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to fit Rebekah with an insulin pump, which delivers insulin to its user automatically and would best suit her condition. But despite offering to pay for the £4,000 pump themselves, they were told repeatedly, and as recently as last week, no staff were available to train families to use it because of cuts.

However, in a dramatic U-turn yesterday health bosses agreed to make Rebekah a “priority” for the treatment.

Health campaigners say Scotland is way behind other countries in its adoption of the pump, despite having one of the highest levels of Type 1 diabetes in the western world.

Currently more than 500 people with Type 1 diabetes in Scotland use insulin pumps compared to a possible figure of around 3,000.

NHSGGC currently has one of the lowest rates.

NHS Lothian recently increased the number of pumps available following a successful campaign by one family who were told they would have to wait three years for the treatment.

The Machray family, from Kilsyth, say they were initially told in May that Rebekah would qualify for the treatment but that changed last week.

But following a phone call from the Evening Times, Rebekah has been put to the top of the list for the vital therapy.

Jane said: “We were told there were no staff available to train parents to use it because of budget cuts.

“The nurse said there was only a ‘glimmer of hope’ that we would get one. If Rebekah gets this treatment then I will be happiest mother alive.

“Her condition has been well managed in the past but unfortunately her body has become resistant to the way the insulin is provided by the pens.

“Her blood sugar levels swing from 3 - 25 and it’s not manageable with the pens. She’s feels unwell because of it and has missed a lot of classes.

“The concern is if her condition de-stabilises for too long she could fall into a coma or run the risk of long-term health problems such blindness.

“The pump can deliver insulin 24 hours a day.”

Pumps can hugely improve the quality of life for sufferers by reducing hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and making blood sugar levels generally much easier to control.

NHS Lothian is now putting three children a month on the pump instead of two and the waiting time has been cut to nine months.

Mary Moody is chairwoman of the Insulin Pump Awareness Group Scotland which was set up to campaign for wider use of the equipment.

She said: “I personally use an insulin pump and have found that it has transformed my life after 54 years of struggling with injections – lost time from school, general poor health, frequent hospital and GP visits.

“Putting resource into insulin pumps now will save the NHS in the long term by reducing complications such as blindness, kidney failure and amputations.”

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Over the last few weeks we have been looking at our options to expand the diabetes service for children which includes increasing the number of patients on the insulin pump therapy service.

“A way forward was agreed yesterday. This patient is a priority for this therapy.

“We would expect additional patients to start being put on pumps within the next four to six weeks.”