Direct impact on thousands of people with diabetes in Andhra Pradesh

In the second year of a five year project period a diabetes awareness project in India, shows impressive results looking at the impact and results achieved. But it wasn’t easy to begin with.

Out of the 32 million people living with diabetes in India it is estimated that at least half of them go un-diagnosed and are unaware of the disease, its prevention and potential complications. Over the past two decades R.R. Lions Eye Hospital in Palakol, Andhra Pradesh State, India, has experienced an alarming increase in diabetes among the people attending their health camps. In order to address this problem, the Hospital came upon the idea of including diabetes awareness as a standard element in the camps.

Local partners of the Lions Hospital help out in awareness activity like this one in a small village in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. Krishnaji, medical practitioner, ophthalmologist and project responsible had a difficult task in convincing people to be tested;” In the early months of year 2005, the people attending the camps, used to stand by and observe the happenings and were reluctant to undergo tests or counselling. The main reason was their lurking fear that diabetes is a dreadful disease, either there was no treatment or when available the disease could not be cured”.

Fighting ignorance before fighting diabetes

”About 50 % of the population of in our State are illiterate. The majority of our population is superstitious and follows the ancient systems of medicine by unqualified medical practitioners”, Dr. Krishnaji saw a desperate need for diabetes awareness campaigns; “There is also a social stigma that sons and daughters of diabetic parents are considered ineligible for marriage because they may become diabetics in the future”.

On this background the R.R. Lions Hospital launched the WDF project, Dr. Krishnaji explains; “I am very happy to say, that our diabetes awareness programme is successful as more number of people are not only attending the awareness and screening camps but are also seeking consultations and treatment for diabetes”.

There is also demand from various organizations to conduct such camps in their places. Dr. Krishnaji recognises this as a direct impact on the population by the project.

Thousands are screened to detect diabetes and retinopathy

The R.R. Lions Eye Hospital in Palakol serves a densely populated area of 11 million people. Many are impoverished and unable to afford eye care.

“For 30 years, I have been a silent and helpless witness of diabetics going blind.  But now with advent of new technology and major use of awareness programmes and screening programmes we are able to save many people from going blind.”

According to Dr. Krishnaji, 519 awareness and screening camps have been held, screening 85.406 people and identifying a total of 9489 people with diabetes since the project started in 2005. With focus on eye problems, diabetic retinopathy screening camps have been held identifying 1088 people with diabetic eye disease and 1859 people with other diabetes related complications such as heart, kidney and foot problems.

Focusing on the health care providers a total of 28 seminars for doctors, nurses or health care personnel have been held in the last 23 months.

“As a medical practioner, an ophthalmologist and a Lions Club member, all these years we had a notion that only 3.5% of population in India are diabetic” Dr. Krishnaji says, but the project activities prove differently; ” But in our screening camps we see that about 11% of population is identified as suffering with diabetes.”

Support from many areas

The donation from the World Diabetes Foundation represents only a small part of the total project budget. There is a long term commitment from Lions Club, Rotary Clubs, Service organisations, Pharmaceutical companies, Industries, educational institutions and the National Programme for Diabetes Control.

By being only one of many players and covering only forth of costs this project is unusual as WDF typically bears a greater part of a project budget. “Given the small part we play in this project we actually get a lot in return”, explains Tilde Froeyr, Programme Coordinator in the WDF Secretariat. “We see a great commitment from the involved people in the Lions Hospital”, she says “and the joined efforts in Palakol seem to work, if we look at the numbers of people reached by their activities” .

The Lions Club collaborating against blindness

In 1925 The Lions Club took up the challenge to be the “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness”. Since then the society as part of a variety of activities, extend their commitment to sight conservation through countless local efforts.

Nearly 70 Lions Clubs and 20 Rotary Club are sponsoring diabetes awareness and screening camps each year. “November month is a diabetic month for our Lions Clubs” Dr. Krishnaji explains; “About 55 Lions Clubs requested us to do diabetes awareness and screening camps, but we could only give dates to 22 camps during the month. So the experience with collaborators is fruitful.”

Millions targeted

The project is planned to end in 2009. Within this five year period it is the intention that more than 5000 health care personnel will be trained in diabetes prevention, diagnosis and care, 250,000 people will be screened for diabetes and 30,000 people with diabetes will be identified, counselled, referred and treated.

Awareness activities will by 2009 have reached a population of 2-3 million. Giving those 50% of the population a change to discover and treat the condition they do not know exist today.