The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : It's not a rich man's disease anymore

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 13, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

It's not a rich man's disease anymore

Staff Reporter

Men in uniform learned at an awareness camp that they too are susceptible to diabetes

CHENNAI: For the 300-odd policemen and their family members who turned up at the DRC M.V.Hospital for Diabetes on Saturday it was an eye-opener of a meeting.

All these years they were under the impression that "diabetes" was a rich man's disease and would not affect them. But the speakers at a workshop made it clear that the police personnel were susceptible to the disease.

As part of the World Diabetes Day, the DRC M.V.Hospital for Diabetes conducted an awareness programme for the men/women in uniform.

R.Nataraj, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, in his inaugural address, stressed the need for doing exercises regularly and consuming less food. He said the police force was chosen for conducting the awareness programme, as their working hours were erratic, which affected the eating habits of the men/women in uniform. Everyday they undergo severe stress and strain, which could lead to health problems including diabetes, he said.

Creating awareness among the police personnel and educating them on `Less is more' were the two main objectives of the programme, Mr. Nataraj said and added that similar health-orientation programmes would be conducted for all police personnel.

A. Ramachandran of DRC M.V. Diabetes Hospital, Royapuram, said the number of persons affected by diabetes was on the rise in the country.

Taking more vegetables with high fibre content fruits and reducing the consumption of items with sugar would certainly help, he said.

A team of specialists from the hospital addressed the police personnel and their family members on how one got the disease and explained methods of overcoming the problem.

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