Did you know?

• Around 65 million people in India currently suffer from diabetes and this number is expected to reach 100 million by 2030.
• According to experts, of the 77.2 million in the ‘at risk’ category, a significant number are undiagnosed.
• Almost 60 percent of diabetic patients are in the uncontrolled category and face an additional threat of acquiring other serious health conditions.

Causes

The rapid growth and spread of diabetes in India is fuelled by a number of factors – notably socio- economic and demographic changes, including a poor lifestyle, changes in eating habits and lack of physical activity.

Innovation driving cure

Current research is focused on as many as 200 new and innovative medicines to help nearly 400 million people living with diabetes worldwide. These include 30 medicines for type-1 diabetes, 100 for type-2 and 52 for conditions linked to chronic diabetes. Some of these products are under trial and others await USFDA approval.

Type 1 or juvenile diabetes is diagnosed in childhood and has to be managed all through adulthood, becoming a life-long cost for parents and patients. Among the new drugs being tested, the most promising ones are for Type 1 diabetes.

Some suggestions

1. Awareness programmes: Addressing the ‘at risk’ category with suggestions on lifestyle and diet. Addressing the undiagnosed group by stressing the importance of detecting and treating the disease early. Persuading patients to complete treatment, so that their diabetes is fully controlled.

2. Public-private partnerships: These play a critical role in increasing disease awareness and improving health outcomes for diabetics; they could include direct intervention across specific patient pools covering children and adults. This also includes adjusting programs to address variations from socio-economic differences – the urban rich have access to more resources than the poor in urban or rural settings.

3. Health Insurance: Health insurance plans to cover the treatment and hospitalisation for all diabetics would encourage patients to complete the prescribed treatment protocols.

On World Diabetes Day, it is fitting to recognise that diabetes presents a global health problem and that India is a major stakeholder in the fight against this escalating epidemic. Given this challenge, our health authorities and policy makers must consider solutions that include an enabling environment for drug innovation, enhanced health infrastructure and adequate health insurance.New Jordan 11 Mens Sneakers Sale,Official New Jordan 11 Womens Online