Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Aug 19: Future focus will have to be on the prevention of diabetes and other non communicable diseases, and the entire strategy by researchers as well as policy planners will have to be aimed at achieving this objective.
This was stated here today by Union Minister and renowned Diabetologist Dr Jitendra Singh while speaking as chief guest at the “Fifth Healthcare Access Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases”.
Sachin Tendulkar, the cricket legend and Brand Ambassador for insulin manufacturing multinational company Novo Nordisk and Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General Health Services were the guests of honor on the occasion. Also present were Lars Rebien Sørensen, Global CEO of Novo Nordisk, Sudarshan Jain, Vice President, Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Dr Shaukat Sadikot, President International Diabetes Federation (IDF), eminent Diabetologist of international recognition Dr V. Mohan and several other nationally and internationally renowned medical professionals.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that the disease spectrum in India, over the last two decades, has shifted from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases, as a result of which Diabetes Mellitus, heart disease and cancer have occupied the centre stage. This has, at the same time, also resulted in a huge social and economic burden for the society, which has more than 65% population below the age of 40 and therefore, cannot afford any drainage or wastage of its youth potential.
Lauding the initiative of Sachin Tendulkar to be the brand Ambassador for prevention of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, Dr Jitendra Singh said, since Sachin is held in high esteem and sincerely followed by youth across the country, his role in spreading disease awareness and fitness dictums based on his personal experience will hopefully make a huge difference.
Dr Jitendra Singh cautioned that more than the rapidly spreading epidemic of diabetes, a serious matter of concern is an upsurge of diabetes among hitherto lesser affected sections of society and lesser affected parts of the country, including the rural areas and village folk. This, he said, is also, to a great extent, because of the breakdown of the rural-urban divide resulting in unhealthy lifestyle changes across all sections of society.
Making a strong plea for engaging in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) modules, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the government agencies, the social scientists and health professionals will have to work in tandem to devise strategies for control of diabetes before it appears. Eliminating the risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus occurring during pregnancy could contribute in lowering diabetic tendencies in the offspring, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Sachin Tendulkar offered some important tips from his personal experience as to how to keep fit and adopt optimum approach to health in order to extract maximum capacity and output from oneself. He, along with other dignitaries, also joined in collectively reading out a written pledge to unitedly fight against the challenge of non-communicable diseases in India.
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