The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Millions of diabetics ignored by Budget'

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Sunday, Mar 04, 2007
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New Delhi

`Millions of diabetics ignored by Budget'

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: In spite of the disturbing fact that diabetes afflicts well over 40 million people across India and over 230 million worldwide, the Union Budget for 2007-08 has not made a provision for this malady which kills nearly as many people every year as HIV/AIDS for the control of which a sum of Rs. 936 crore has been set aside, the Delhi Diabetes Research Centre pointed out over the weekend.

Incidentally, a major international conference on diabetes is due to be held in New York from March 12 to discuss the disease that "could become the worst pandemic of the 21st Century''.

To be addressed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the conference would study how seven million more people are being afflicted by diabetes each year and how it kills as many people as HIV/AIDS.

Govt. intervention

Seeking Government intervention in addressing the grave issue of diabetes that is likely to afflict nearly 80 million people by 2020, the Delhi Diabetes Research Centre has stated that what is all the more worrisome in the case of India is that the disease is affecting more and more younger people. With 10 to 15-year-olds falling prey to this disease, it is assuming endemic proportions.

Compared to the West, where diabetes primarily affects the elderly, in India its targeting of the young leads to further complications since it quickly leads to kidney, eye and heart problems and in most cases a lot of time is wasted by the time the disease is diagnosed, according to DDRC Chairman A.K. Jhingan.

"The Government has in the Union Budget not provided any relief to diabetic patients: neither in the field of treatment nor in preventive strategy. This when recently all United Nations member-nations had passed a resolution to consider diabetes a serious health hazard specially for developing countries and had called for urgent steps to tackle the problem,'' Dr. Jhingan said.

The DDRC Chairman said funds should be allocated for diabetes control as there is an urgent need to foster public awareness about its various causes and how it can be delayed and prevented.

Moreover, he said, substances needed for diabetes control such as insulin and blood sugar testing devices and strips need to be made more affordable for the vast number of patients.

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