Poor diabetics to get free Insulin

A news of relief for the diabetic children of the economically weaker section as a medical technology firm has announced to provide free insulin to them in collaboration with a voluntary organization. In addition to that, education programmes on Type 1 diabetes will also be organized in the national capital.

To proceed ahead with the programme, the insulin manufacturer Becton, Dickinson and Company has already given an initial sum of Rs.3 lakh to the Delhi Diabetic Forum (DDF), a Delhi based NGO formed over 20 years ago with an objective to fight diabetes, educate the people about the disease and research.

The reference of the children from the economically weaker sections of society who need insulin will be provided with the help of a committee of seven doctors from various hospitals and the NGO for this purpose.

"Under this one-year DDF programme, free insulin will be provided to poor and needy children at their doorsteps. Special educational camps will be organized on a quarterly basis to educate the kids and their parents," said S.K Wangnoo, senior endocrinologist at Apollo hospital.

Type 1 diabetes is caused due to the deficiency of insulin and is very common now a day. The pancreas of the children suffering from Type 1 diabetes is unable to produce the insulin hormone and hence need insulin for survival.

"This will go a long way in helping the needy and also cutting down treatment failures as the children will continue to take insulin, rather than missing out insulin due to lack of financial support," said Rajiv Gupta, chief advisor, DDF.

There are more than 1 million diabetic children in India. According to doctors, 27,000 diabetic children aged between 2 to 14 years die across the world every year due to this disease out of which over 45 percent of them dying in India itself.