Gujarat Governor OP Kohli will launch a national level campaign ‘Diabetes free India’ aimed at making India diabetes free by 2030 on Wednesday at the state capital Gandhinagar.
Diabetes Care India – an Ahmedabad based NGO has taken this initiative to create awareness about diabetes & its complications in India. As part of the campaign, the NGO would try to influence policy makers, health departments of various States, educational institutes and even restaurant owners. “Today, when India is dreaming of being a super power in its own right, the only thing which can disrupt it is the Indian diabetes tsunami. As part of the campaign experts will share global perspectives on diabetes prevention, early actions needed, role of education, respective Government departments and key insights of Diabetes Free India 2030,” said Dr. Banshi Saboo, founder of the NGO and executive secretary of DiabetesIndia.
The Recent ICMR & IDF data reveals the increasing prevalence of diabetes in India and more so among the younger population, posing a huge economic burden, said Saboo adding that 18% of the total Indian population is suffering from Type 2 Diabetes, and more than half of them are unaware that they are diabetic. “This is just the tip of the iceberg that we are seeing as the data above is only for the adult population above the age of 20 years. Presently, 50% of the Indian population is below the age of 25 years and 65% of the population is below the age of 35 years. So, the bubble of diabetes is yet to burst, overloading the epidemic we are currently witnessing,” he added.
Talking to media persons Dr. S Sadikot, President of International Diabetes Federation and DiabetesIndia said that India’s burden would be felt tremendously in the next decade when all diagnosed diabetes patients would present complications and the burden of healthcare expenses, both on government and families cumulatively run into billions of dollars.
Diabetes is akin to running with a live bomb, triggered by multiple environmental factors such as modern lifestyles, effects of westernisation, high carbohydrate diet, less physical activity, stress, alcohol and smoking, said Saboo, adding that due to these environmental factors, children catch more fat in comparison to muscle mass and they become overweight which makes them prone to develop Diabetes at a younger age.