BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: Dr Nikhil Tandon, Head of the Department of Endocrinology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, has said that diabetes control is less than satisfactory in India. Dr Tandon explains: “India has the 2nd highest population of people living with diabetes in the world with 73 million cases, which are expected to nearly double by 2045 and diabetes control is less than satisfactory with an average HbA1c of 8.9%.”

Unveiling the first-year report of 'Impact India: 1000-day Challenge' by Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, Dr Tandon stated, “Novo Nordisk’s initiative will give diabetes care a major impetus and provide medical practitioners with real-time data that can help understand and evaluate the areas of improvement and work accordingly in a systematic manner.”

He pointed out that the goal of 1% reduction in HbA1c as observed from landmark trials in type 2 diabetes is estimated to reduce the risk of stroke by 12%, heart attack by 14%, diabetic eye disease by 31%, diabetic kidney disease by 33% and diabetic limb disease by 43% in people affected by diabetes. This will not only improve India’s healthcare status but also mitigate costly complications like heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness, etc.”

Dr. A.K. Das, Professor and Head, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, said, “Overall 3311 doctors have been reached through 180 Impact Workshops across 153 cities and towns in India during phase one. We are confident that our efforts will reap encouraging results over the coming years”.

H.E. Freddy Svane, Ambassador of Denmark to India, stated, “The Impact India 1000 day challenge is one such unique initiative to improve the status of diabetes care in a systematic way.”

Mr Melvin D'souza, Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, said, “Cities like Visakhapatnam,  Kolkata, Varanasi and Pune have shown a noticeable dip in HbA1c level in the past year in the Impact India: 1000-Day Challenge” Programme. However, we are confident that in the coming years we will see a similar downward trend across multiple regions.”