Supporting children in Bangladesh

The employees of Novo Nordisk are supporting 60 children with diabetes for one year in Bangladesh. Due to their support the children are now able to get medical attention, insulin, syringes and blood sugar measurement devices on a regular basis.  Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world and has the lowest health care spending per capita. The main focus is on infections and maternal and child health (reduction in infant mortality). The prevalence of diabetes in Bangladesh is estimated to be 5.2% among the adult population. It is estimated that almost 3 million people have diabetes in Bangladesh. The majority have type 2 diabetes. Specialised diabetes care is virtually non-existent in the public sector, but in recent years some private sector hospitals have established diabetes clinics. The project is carried out by the WHO collaborating centre for prevention and control of diabetes in the South East Asian Region, BIRDEM. BIRDEM - probably the largest diabetes centre in the world In 1980 BIRDEM (Bangladesh Institute of Research & Rehabilitation in Diabetes Endocrine & Metabolic Disorder) was inaugurated with the objective of providing not only patient care, but also offering specialised care with regard to the various complications of diabetes. BIRDEM functions as a referral centre for diabetes care. It provides a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient medical services including practically every medical discipline, primarily for patients with diabetes and endocrine disorders. With 542 beds, 250,000 registered patients and a daily load of 2000-2500 outpatients, it is probably the largest diabetes centre in the world. The clinical services of BIRDEM comprise diabetes care free of charge to all the registered people with diabetes irrespective of economic and social status. The patients are entitled to free medical supervision, consultations, diabetes education, and advice on nutrition, social support and rehabilitation, if necessary. Insulin, oral hypoglycaemic agents and other medicines are supplied free or at subsidized cost to those in need depending upon the economic status of the patient. BIRDEM is run by the diabetes association of Bangladesh.