| Sunday, July 15, 2007
Efforts on to introduce MD courses in diabetology, non-communicable diseases
Chennai: Efforts are on to introduce two MD courses, one in
Diabetology and the other in Non Communicable Diseases, at Tamil
Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, its Vice-Chancellor Meer Mustafa
Hussain said on Friday.
While a lot of money was being ploughed into communicable diseases,
it was not the case with non communicable diseases (NCD), a
field in which not much inroad have been made in the country.
Speaking at the inaugural function of a national seminar on
prevention of NCD, organised by Madras Diabetes Research Foundation
(MDRF) and the University of Alabama, Birmingham, US (UAB),
Dr. Hussain said there was a compelling need in India to nurture
and train faculty in NCD.
Congratulating the staff of MDRF and Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes
Speciality Centre for taking up research and treatment work
on diabetes with commitment, he also promised that the Ph.D.
programme that the centre was offering, which had been discontinued,
would be revived.
He also urged V. Mohan, president, MDRF, to conduct short-term
certificate courses recognised by Tamil Nadu Dr.MGR Medical
University. Another suggestion to the research team was to develop
a vaccine for diabetes. Some work had already been done in this
regard at the university, he said, adding that it was a process
of identifying the antibodies that cause insulin resistance,
antagonise them and develop a vaccine to counteract them in
the human body.
Making a presentation on the current scenario with reference
to diabetes, Dr. Mohan said NCD had overtaken communicable diseases
as the largest cause of mortality and morbidity in India. According
to facts provided in the International Diabetes Foundation’s
Diabetes Atlas, India currently has 41 million people living
with diabetes. In 2025, this is expected to grow up to 70 million,
he added.
“The country cannot afford treatment of diabetes, let
alone its complications. The need of the hour is prevention,”
Dr. Mohan said.
Dale Williams, Associate Director, Division of Preventive Medicine,
University of Alabama, said the idea was to train people as
far as possible within the country itself. Rema Mohan, vice-president,
MDRF, made a presentation on the growth of the treatment and
research centres. Deepa Raj, head, Clinical Laboratory, spoke
about the MDRF-UAB partnership funded by the National Institutes
of Health, United States.
S.K. Rajan, Emeritus Professor and Chairman, Board of Studies
for Higher Specialities, TN Dr.MGR Medical University, released
the Indian Diabetes Risk Score kit developed by MDRF and recommended
that the varsity recognise the Foundation as a centre of excellence.
A.S.Venkatesh, representative of Rotary International, said
the clubs were willing to collaborate against NCD.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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