CHENNAI: It's common knowledge that India has the second largest number of diabetics globally, and is expected to retaiin that position even in 2030, according to WHO estimates. However, it is alarming to note that last year, Indians were believed to have spent over USD 40 billion on direct and indirect costs incurred in diabetes treatment. When converted to Indian rupees, the sum is estimated to be Rs 2 trillion. "In a study that we did in 2010, we estimated that the amount being spent was around USD 31.9 billion, and obviously this number would have risen by 20-25 per cent now," said Dr Vijay Viswanathan, MD, MV Hospital for Diabetes, speaking on the sidelines of the Diabetes Research Centre Annual Oration. Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner to India, presented the DRC Gold medal and citation to Padma Shri Dr Anoop Misra, Fortis Hospital.Looking at the global perspective, this is a significant amount as the world spends around USD 465 billion on diabetes care, which is 11 per cent of the entire amount spent on healthcare, according to Dr Gojka Roglic, Responsible Officer, Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, WHO.She also acknowledged the work undertaken by Dr Viswanathan's foundation in attempting to correlate the incidence rate between tuberculosis and diabetes in India. Dr Viswanathan said that their preliminary reports had pointed to a very high relation between the diseases and added that the data had warranted a nation-wide study on the same, with focus on rural and semi-urban areas.Nithavrianakis also presented the first ‘Prof M Viswanathan’ National Award for Excellence in Medical Teaching and Medical Care to Padma Bhushan Dr Ramchandra Dattatraya Lele, Honourary Chief Physician and Director of Nuclear Medicine and Ex-Medical Director, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.
Comments
0 comment