The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Special footwear for diabetics launched

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Wednesday, Nov 04, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Special footwear for diabetics launched

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.Thanthoni

Good move: T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (second from left) launching DIASTEP footwear in Chennai on Monday. Vijay Viswanathan, Managing Director of MV Hospital for Diabetes and Research Centre and CLRI Director A.B.Mandal are in the picture.

CHENNAI: “We have the best medical technology in the world but very poor access. Affordability and access are the primary concerns which have to be addressed,” said T. Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST).

He added that the Department has proposals to set up Biomedical Design Instrumentation and Technology units to aid in the process of increasing access.

Low-risk diabetes

Dr. Ramasami was speaking at the launch of Diastep, a footwear for people with low-risk diabetes, jointly developed by the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI) and the MV Hospital for Diabetes and Research Centre here.

Dr. Ramasami said the collaborative project was a very good step towards evolving synergy in biomedical research.

“Scientists and doctors partnered to work on this problem. Scientists usually focus on discovery instead of applications. But they must realise that innovation must result in solutions and curiosity driven science must lead to clinical products.”

With India on its way to becoming the diabetic capital of the world, the debilitating problem of diabetic gangrene has to be tackled immediately, said Vijay Viswanathan, Managing Director of the MV Hospital for Diabetes and Research Centre.

“India will have 50 million diabetics by 2010. Close to 20 per cent of all diabetics have some form of amputation, and surveys indicate 60 per cent of those amputations are because of wrong or no footwear,” he said.

Solving water woes

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Mr. Ramasami said the DST was working on a nationwide policy plan to tackle recurring water problems.

“After receiving a directive from the Supreme Court we have identified 61 sites in 20 river basins to implement pilot schemes. Global solution-providers would be invited and if the pilot measures prove successful, they will be expanded. Eight Ministries are concurrently working on this and we will have some demonstrative solutions by August 2011,” he said.

He said a pan-IIT solar energy initiative had been initiated by the DST to expand research capabilities in green energy technology.

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