Speaking at the meeting of Diabetes National Executive of RSSDI (Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India) here today, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances,Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh moved a proposal for providing free insulin to each and every poor child of the country suffering from Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, popularly sometimes referred as “juvenile diabetes”. He said, he will also take up the issue with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and try to put in place a mechanism for carrying out a country-wide campaign on these lines.Dr Jitendra Singh suggested constituting a Working Group consisting of eminent Diabetologists, activists and representatives of government, so that, free of cost, care for poor diabetic children becomes a matter of policy and principle in the Indian dispensation.
Dr Jitendra Singh also mooted the idea of vociferous and aggressive campaign for prevention of Diabetes in India in order to halt its rapidly spreading menace in the country. He said, Diabetes in Young is going to be the major challenge before India for the next one decade and to work for it is not only the responsibility of medical professionals, but in fact, a national responsibility considering the fact that more than 65% of India’s population today is below the age of 35 years, which means that increasing prevalence of diabetes in the youth will only lead to drainage of the vital youth energy of the nation which is the greatest potential resource for India to become world power in the years to come. In addition, he suggested innovative public programmes for diabetes care in collaboration with leading diabetes organizations of the world as well as other stakeholders.At the meeting, it was also decided to introduce “Distinguished Services Award” annually for leading Diabetologists from India. Besides this, the format and programme for the upcoming RSSDI Conference at Lucknow was also discussed.Among those present at the meeting were President RSSDI Dr. S.V. Madhu, past President Dr. Samar Banerjee, Dr. Sarita Bajaj, Dr. Rajeev Chawla, Dr. B.M. Makkar, Dr. S.R. Aravind, Dr. Vijay Panikar, Dr. Jayant Panda, Dr. G.R. Sridhar, Dr. P.V. Rao, Dr. Jayaprakashsai Jana, Dr. C.H. Vasanth Kumar and Dr. Banshi Saboo.