Kumble calls for early action to check diabetes among youth
New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Expressing concern over the rising diabetes burden in India, former Indian Cricketer Anil Kumble on Wednesday urged citizens, especially youths, to go for timely diagnosis and early initiation of treatment if diagnosed with diabetes.
According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are an estimated 81,400 children under the age of 15 living with Type 1 diabetes in South East Asia.
India accounts for the majority of children with Type 1 diabetes and is home to over 70,200 such children.
Speaking at the launch of a book on Type 1 diabetes, Kumble said: “Diabetes is on the rise in India. Timely diagnosis and early initiation of treatment combined with simple lifestyle modifications can help in managing diabetes better.”
Lending his support to Changing Diabetes in Children (CDiC) — a programme dedicated to urban diabetes challenge, Kumble said: “I am glad that I have the opportunity to be a part of the Changing Diabetes mission spearheaded by Novo Nordisk. Through this platform, I appeal to each citizen not to take diabetes lightly.”
The CDiC programme is currently underway in nine underdeveloped and developing countries globally. Currently, over 13,000 children are registered in the programme globally, out of which nearly 4,000 are from India.
The programme was launched in India in September 2011 by former President (Late) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. The vision of the programme is “to initiate and strive for comprehensive diabetes care for the economically underprivileged children with Type 1 diabetes in India”.
Present on the occasion, Navdeep Rinwa, Joint Secretary – Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, said: “To address the diabetes crisis, we all need to work collectively to ensure children with Type 1 diabetes get timely access to care.”
“The government is focused and committed towards providing people with diabetes quality medical treatment and ensuring that every citizen is made aware about diabetes for early diagnosis,” he said.
The book launched by Rinwa on Type 1 diabetes has been authored by 48 leading Indian endocrinologists, paediatric endocrinologists and diabetologists.
The book has been supported by Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF), a not-for-profit foundation supported by Novo Nordisk, a leading global diabetes care company.