World Diabetes Day: Jitendra for proactive measures to prevent, control diabetes

STATE TIMES NEWS

NEW DELHI: As the population of the young is progressively on

the increase and India emerges as one of the youngest countries

in the world with more than 65 per cent of its population below the

age of 35 years, the major focus of diabetes research during the

next two decades will be on prevention and control of diabetes in

youth. This was stated by Union Minister of State (Independent

Charge) for Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS

PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic

Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh on Thursday while talking

to a group of young medicos who called on him for his views and

a formal message on the eve of World Diabetes Day tomorrow.

Singh, who is also a National Professor of Diabetes and an

internationally renowned Diabetologist, said that from the era of

communicable diseases, the Indian subcontinent has entered into

an age of non-communicable diseases, including diabetes

mellitus, hypertension, heart disease and a host of other

metabolic disorders. Even though changing lifestyle, food habits

and stress are cited as the common factors for this rapid upsurge

in diabetes, one cannot lose sight of some of the misplaced

priorities which have further contributed to this epidemic

phenomenon. For example, he said, by social and cultural

tradition, the Indian nation does not accord high priority to health

issues and even in the Annual General Budget in the past years,

the allocation for health and particularly for diseases like diabetes

has been very minimal, he added.

Future control and prevention of diabetes will certainly

require mass awareness but at the same time, also require

proactive measures by government and other health agencies. To

this extent, he appreciated the government’s decision to provide

free gluco-meters for mass testing of blood sugar even in semi-

urban and rural areas.

In addition, Singh said, the nation as a whole will have to

become conscious of the fact that foundational issues like health

are prerequisite for any headway in the overall progress of the

nation, particularly a nation like India which is capable of

becoming a world power in the next decade or so.

The economic burden occurring as a result of lifelong

management of diabetes mellitus is another issue which, if not

appropriately addressed, can lead to incapacitating conditions

further leading to loss of manpower and working man days, he

added.

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