Best practices from changing diabetes® in children India

Abstract

AbstractIt is estimated that India alone has 70,200 cases of T1DM, with an annual increase rate of 3–5%.2 Despite being the most common chronic disease in children and adolescents, T1DM does not receive the attention it requires. Many children die of undiagnosed diabetes or shortly after diagnosis because of poor blood sugar control. Everyone with type 1 diabetes requires insulin from the beginning.3 Continuous management, comorbidities, and chronic complications place a heavy psychological and economic burden on the whole family. Challenges in India are at many levels, right from diagnosis, health-care delivery, availability of trained physicians, infrastructure, insulin, and monitoring and providing psychosocial support. The Changing Diabetes® in Children (CDIC) Programme is a part of Novo Nordisk's Access to Diabetes Care strategy and builds on the undefined cornerstones in the right to health. With an aim to improve the health condition and quality of life of the children with diabetes, this program was started in 2009. Globally, the program is operational in nine underdeveloped and developing countries including India and there are a total of >14,000 children under the care of the CDiC Programme. This global program was launched in India in 2011 by late former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam through Novo Nordisk Education Foundation. It has a pan-India footprint with 21 established centers in government hospitals and specialized clinics and >4000 registered children. Apart from providing essential care which includes free doctor consultations, providing insulin, and monitoring insulin, CDiC is also working in other key areas in type 1 management, namely, (1) diabetes education–with specially designed diabetes education tools, for children, parents, siblings, and other caregivers, (2) awareness and capacity building–advertorial series for general public and special accredited trainings for doctors and other health-care professionals, and (3) communication for all stakeholders–periodic CDiC newsletters and Mishti Guardian.