NNEF, Gandhi Hospital's new Type 1 diabetes centre to treat underprivileged children

Hyderabad: Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF) has collaborated with Gandhi Hospital and Medical College, Secunderabad, to set up a Centre of Excellence for Type 1 diabetes care.

In India, 74.2 million people have diabetes. According to the most recent estimates, more than 2,29,000 people under 20 years old in the country have Type 1 diabetes, affecting a tiny number of people compared to Type 2 diabetes. Because of this, Type 1 diabetes may not get the attention it needs, which can have serious health effects on children who have it.

The centre's primary focus will be to provide insulin to underprivileged children with Type 1 diabetes to lower their morbidity and mortality by offering assistance and information to create a pool of resources.

Additionally, it will aid in encouraging research and development (R&D) to promote the generation of scientific publications and provide appropriate recommendations for managing diabetes mellitus in Indian children.

Commenting on the collaboration, Vikrant Shrotriya, managing trustee of Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, said they are pleased to collaborate with Gandhi Medical College to set up the Centre of Excellence for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes patients in the state.

"In particular, children with Type 1 diabetes will now have access to appropriate care and treatment as a benefit of this partnership. We look forward to increasing the overall diabetes care coverage throughout the state in the future," he added.

Speaking at the event, Dr. K. Ramesh Reddy, director of medical education, the government of Telangana, said children with Type 1 diabetes need assistance because they have little to no access to diabetic treatment.

"This gap will be bridged by setting up this new CoE. We need to have a diabetes care ecosystem in the state due to the rise of diabetes patients in India," he added.

Dr. M Raja Rao, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital and Medical College, expressed happiness to have Novo Nordisk Education Foundation as a partner. "They have further strengthened our commitment to serving the community and those living with diabetes," he said.

"Apart from treatment, we would also work on fully integrated education to improve the outcome of their health condition," said Dr. D. Vijay Shekar Reddy, professor and HOD, department of endocrinology, Gandhi Hospital and Medical College.

Through initiatives such as the CoE, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation has improved access to better care for over 6,000 children with Type 1 diabetes across the country.