Gathering to change the course of diabetes 

More than 200 delegates from South East Asia, leading global health experts, ministers of health, donors and national health authorities convened at the Diabetes Summit for East-Asia. The Honourable Minister of Health for Sri Lanka, Sri Nimal Sripala De Silva at the inauguration.  From 28th to 30th November key stake holders convened in Chennai, India, at the Diabetes Summit for South-East Asia to address the rising prevalence of diabetes in the region. The Summit has been organised by the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) in collaboration with the World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia (WHO SEARO), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Bank.  In his opening remarks the Honourable Minister of Health for Sri Lanka, Sri Nimal Sripala De Silva addressed the magnitude of the problem: “The problem of diabetes is big enough for the United Nations to recognise it as a significant global health challenge and for the member states to pass a unanimous vote recognising 14th November as World Diabetes Day. By so doing, they also accepted the responsibility of taking appropriate actions to address the issue. The global diabetes community must be congratulated for coming to gather to create the advocacy for this to happen. South and South East Asia is particularly affected by the diabetes epidemic which kills more people each year than what happened during the tragic tsunami of 2004,” he said.      More than 53.4 million people in South-East Asia currently live with the condition and 20% of global type 2 diabetes cases are now found in the region. In 2007, diabetes resulted in 3.8 million deaths globally (6% of world mortality), the same figure as HIV/AIDS. “If appropriate public health action is not initiated, disability and premature deaths from heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases will grow by more than 21% over the next 10 years in the South-East Asia Region. Almost half of the 89 million non-communicable disease-related deaths projected in the Region during the next 10 years will occur prematurely, thus hindering social and economic development of Member countries”, said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director, South-East Asia. Unless preventative measures are taken, an estimated 380 million people worldwide will have diabetes by 2025, the largest increase occurring in developing countries. With 40 million persons with diabetes in India, the country holds an unenviable record of being home to the largest population in the world with diabetes.  Bringing together knowledge The Summit provided a platform for all the stakeholders to network, share ideas and take inspiration from what is already being done. The two-day summit was full of lectures and panel discussions by leading experts within diabetes, access to care and representatives from several South-East Asian diabetes projects supported by WDF. The summit was launched with a site visit attended by the WDF Board of Directors, and 35 international, regional and local media participants. In his opening address, Prof. Pierre Lefèbvre, Chairman of the World Diabetes Foundation, said: “This Summit brings together one of the largest assemblies of some the most influential people capable of changing the course of diabetes in the region. The fact that so many people have come together on this platform is no mere coincidence. It is not only an indication of the recognition of the huge challenge posed by diabetes and other related chronic diseases, but also shows the willingness to do something substantial to address the problem.” During the summit, the World Diabetes Foundation showcased six major projects across India in the area of capacity building of health-care professionals, public awareness in rural areas, gestational diabetes, primary prevention interventions in schools, innovative diabetic foot and eye care projects to demonstrate how effective collaboration can work at the practical level. Using telemedicine to change diabetes in rural areas Eye examination in the Telemedicine Van in Chunampet. Before the inauguration of the summit, the Board of Directors of the World Diabetes Foundation and eminent scientists of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) visited the MDRF-WDF Chunampet Rural Diabetes Project in Chunampet, Kancheepuram District. With 70% of India's population living in rural areas, an increased focus on diabetes health care and prevention in rural areas is needed. With this in view, the ‘MDRF-WDF Chunampet Rural Diabetes Prevention Project’ was launched in March 2006 with the support from WDF. The four-year project is being conducted in cluster villages about 100 Kms from Chennai. The highlight of the project is the use of Telemedicine Van, a novel tool providing modern treatment to people with diabetes in rural areas. Inside the van, a doctor screens the patient at the same time as conferring with a specialist through a monitor. So far, 23,449 persons have been screened in 42 villages using the telemedicine van, finding 1,114 new cases of diabetes. Dr V. Mohan, one of the principal investigators of the project and internationally acclaimed Diabetologist and President of MDRF says: “This community based programme will serve as a model not only to screen for diabetes and its complications in low resource rural settings but also to reduce the burden of other chronic non communicable diseases in the developing world.” He continues: “I believe that using telemedicine, we can create awareness about diabetes and its complications among the rural masses and this will serve as a bridge to manage diabetes and its complications.” This project alone intends to educate 200,000 people in rural areas on diabetes and other non-communicable diseases and screen 50,000 persons for diabetes.   For more information please contact: Communication Manager Jamal R. Butt jmbu@worlddiabetesfoundation.org Phone +45 44 43 47 36

Chennai Call for Action Press release Summit programme