Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Diabetes in urban areas growing rapidly

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, SEPT. 13. The second postgraduate course in diabetology, conducted by the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to generate more diabetology-trained practitioners in India, gets under way on September 24.

The three-day course will consist of lectures by eminent U.S. scientists, meet-the-expert sessions featuring over 40 senior Indian diabetologists, panel discussions and live demonstration of emerging techniques by the MDRF faculty, V. Mohan, chairman of the M.V. Diabetes Specialities Centre, told a press conference here recently.

Nearly 1,200 practitioners have enrolled for the course, aimed at training doctors in the practical management of diabetes with updates on the latest developments.

The first certificate course was launched in collaboration with the ADA in 2002 to generate a pool of medical practitioners trained in diabetology. The programme attracted over 850 practitioners. It is estimated that around 50 per cent of trainees go on to take diabetology as a speciality.

Gross mismatch

Though the number of diabetologists increased from 70 in 1991 to over 1,000 currently the number of specialists is a gross mismatch given the magnitude of diabetes in the population. In its latest report, the World Health Organisation estimates the number of diabetes-affected population in India to be 32.4 million. The world body warns that this figure is likely to increase to 79.4 million by the year 2030.

Two recent population surveys conducted by an MDRF team led by Dr. Mohan showed a marked increase in the prevalence of diabetes in urban areas in a five-year span. The Chennai Urban Population Study in 1997 revealed a 12 per cent prevalence of diabetes in the Chennai population while the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study, which sampled 26,001 persons in 2001recorded a prevalence of 16 per cent.

The ADA-supported course is expected to improve both quantity and quality of diabetology services. As of now there is no formal degree course in diabetology in India.

Anbumani Ramadoss, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, will formally inaugurate the course. Alan D. Cherrington, ADA president, will launch the prevention, awareness, counselling and evaluation project, which targets over a million Chennai residents.

Workshop

A workshop to train diabetes educators will be held on September 23. Certified Diabetes Educators act as a bridge between diabetologists and diabetics.

The workshop held in collaboration with the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) will have scientific lectures on diabetes management and the role of diabetes educators.

The international faculty will include Mary Austin, AADE president.

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