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New Delhi: India looks unlikely to be able to
screen over 150 million people for diabetes and
hypertension by March 2012. The health
ministry’s ambitious plan to screen all adult
males above 30 years of all age groups for
diabetes and hypertension in 100 districts
across 21 states has failed to take off.
Only a few cities like Bangalore, Chennai and
Ahmedabad have rolled out the diabetes and
hypertension screening programme. Most
states are yet to roll out the programme.
Alarmed at the progress, health secretary
P.K.Pradhan has now called a progress review
meeting of the 21 states on November 17,
A ministry official said “we will review the
progress made by states and may be help them
with some models which they can work on. The
best way to detect abnormal BP and high blood
sugar levels is to conduct mass screening. This
will give us a clear picture of the prevalence of
diabetes in the population. The ministry’s
screening project was to roll out in 100 districts
in this 11
five-years plan while the remaining
districts were to be covered in the next five –
year plan. However, the programme is far from
taking off in the way it was imagined.’’
According to health minister Ghulam Nabi
Azad, hypertension and diabetes were found
to be rampant in Bangalore and Chennai. Azad
said under the screening programme, 14% and
21% were found to be suffering from diabetes
and high blood pressure, respectively, in
Bangalore. In Chennai, out of a lakh
tested,50,000 were found to be diabetic and
another 60,000 hypertensive. Azad described
the early results as “worrying’’, Going by the
ministry’s estimates. 15- 20 crore people were
to be screened for diabetes and hypertension
this year.
Around 100 most backward and inaccessible
districts in 21 states and urban slums in 33 cities
–with a population of more than 10 lakh-were
selected, where all adult males above 30 years
and pregnant women of all age groups were to
be screened.
A ministry official said. “such massive screening
programmes need to be done systematically
and require man power. We made it even more
difficulty by choosing to roll it out first in the
backward areas an idea that failed. Most of the
screening is being done in cities because chief
medical of ficers of districts that are already
facing manpower crisis in primary health
centres arefinding it difficult to carry out such a
massive exercise to first screen all adults above
30 first screen all adults above 30 for diabetes
and BP and then refer them to doctors if found
to be suffering from diabetes or high BP.’’
International Diabetes Federation (IDF)
estimates that India is home to an estimated
50.8 million diabetes, which is likely to increase
to 87 million, or 8.4% of the country’s adult
population by 2030 .
Dr S.K. Wangnoo, senior consultant of
endocrinology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital
said, “One person is dying of diabetes every
10 seconds. Besides, there are two new
diabetes cases every 10 seconds.
’’The World Health Organization (WHO)
estimates there are about 230 million diabetes
patients worldwide.
A recent study on the financial burden of
diabetes on the common man had found that
60% of diabetics paid for treatment and
management of the disease from their personal
savings. On an average, a diabetic in India
spends Rs.25,931 annually on diagnosis and
treatment of the ailment.
Extrapolating the figures, the study claimed that
the nation would spend $31.90 billion this year
on diabetes care. Those with high blood
pressure, diabetes, high blood fat (cholesterol)
are specially at risk of suffering from a stoke.
In India, more that 16% of people above 20
years of age suffer from high BP. Fifty per cent
of those with high BP are not even aware of it.
Of those who are aware, only 50% take
measures to control it, and of those who take
these measures, only 50% are adequately
controlled.
As per ICMR figures, the total number of adult
population suffering from diabetes in India in
2004 was estimated to be 37.77 million out of
which 21.40 million were in urban areas.
WORLD RECORD CREATED AS 3,573 SCREENED FOR DIABETES
Bangalore: A record 3,573 people were
screened for blood glucose levels in the city on
Sunday, the eve of World Diabetes Day.
The new Guinness World Record for “most
blood glucose level tests conducted within eight
hours’’ was achieved at a diabetes screening
camp organized by Nova Nordisk India Private
Limited in partnership with The Times of India.
The old record -1,290 people screened for
blood glucose levels in Kuwait on Setember
16,2011-was over taken in less than two hours
of the ‘Marking World Diabetes Day’ opening
at palace Grounds.
“We are happy that groups are taking such
initiatives to spread awareness about this
growing epidemic called diabetes. We
monitored the entire event and are glad that a
record number of people got their blood glucose
levels tested here. In the first two hours itself,
the figures shot past the previous record,’’ said
Vin Sharma, global talent manager Guinness
World Records. The camp was part of efforts
of the Times of to promote awareness about
diabetes which is acquiring epidemic
proportions.
The newspaper has been publishing
informative articles at regular intervals on how
to prevent diabetes and contain it before it
becomes life threatening, besides conducting
blood glucose screening camps for people
large.
Recent studies have conclusively established
that diabetes is growing in the country at an
alarming rate. According to World Health
organization (WHO) estimates, 346 million
people world wide are diabetic and the figures.
‘Indians are genetically predisposed to
diabetes. The first step is to identify it at the
right stage and then work towards eliminating
it. Our efforts are aimed at working closely with
our part ners in spreading awareness about
ailments including diabetes in 85 cities across
the country.’’ Said Melvin Oscar
D’Souza,managing diarector of Nova Nordisk
India Private Limite.
Face Free From Acne and Scares
A blemish –free face is no more a dream. It
can be got right next door at Silkee cosmetology
laser clinic. Dr sreelatha, the cosmetic surgeon
at the clinic, states that 25 per cent of her clients
come in for acne, acne scars and small facial
scars. She explains that acne responds to RF
Thermotherapy at a particular wavelength and
heals without scarring. The wide range of RF
thermotherapy equipment available at the clinic
shows that equlpment and expertise are
mutually complementary in producing the
desired effect of ultimate client satisfaction.
And for those with acne and facial scars, one
can opt for skin resurfacing, using pixel 2940
lasers, introduced in Chennai for the first time,
and boasting of the world’s latest leaser
technology in cosmetic procedures. The patient
benefits in the form of no scarring, no pain and
no burning, thanks to the supplementary
cooling systems. The Pixel 2940 uses the
technique of fractional ablation, the same
fundamental technique used in laser peeling,
skin rejuvenation and deep wrinkles, with
different transducers.
The actual time with the laser is so brief that it
is over even before the client is aware that the
doctor has shifted through the transducers and
slid them through the body part at an
unbelievingly fast pace. The doctor’s dictum is
‘One satisfied client brings in more than 100
unsatisfied patients’, which is reflected in her
records. A profile of her clients reveals that 20
per cent of her patients are NRIs on a visit to
India, having heard about the clinic through
word of mouth, about the range of cosmetology
services available, in an ambience at per with
those in other countries. The clinic takes care
to ensure that the appointment schedules are
spaced out and not crowded, allowing for the
strict privacy her celebrity clients demand and
delays in traffic jams.
Looking good and young was never so easy
and you don’t have to look futher than Silkee,
Priya, the public relations officer, answers telecallers
emphasizing that the place is neither a
spa
nor a parlour
but a clinic, manned by a
team
of senior dermatologists,
plastic surgeons
and
cosmetic surgeon.
Work together and fight fatigue
Can working together help battle effects of
fatigue? In high-risk professions-doctors, pilots
and others –fatigue can lead to dangerous
errors, but individuals who work together as a
team display better problemsolving skills than
those who face their fatigue alone, new
research shows. Daniel Frings, a lecturer in
social psychology at London South Bank
University says. “Teams appear to be more
highly motivated to perform well, and team
members can compare solutions to reach the
best decision when they are fatigued. This
appears to allow teams to avoid the inflexible
thinking experienced by fatigued individuals’’.
TEAMWORK HELPS
Neurosurgeon Dr.Sunil Kutty says, “Working
together can definitely help battle fatigue.
Physical and mental fatigue both afflict people
in all forms of life, but in case of highrisk
profesions like doctors and pilots, who take
decisions which could indirectly end up
affecting others, the role of fatigue definitely
needs to be addressed.’’
LATERAL THINKING
General physician Dr Amit Rana concurs.
“Group thinking and discussion is always
considered to be vital for patients’ treatment.
Fatigue and over stress can cause
misdiagnosis, improper judgement and can
cause delay in taking important decisions.
However, working as a team not only gives a
different approach, but can also open lateral
thinking.’’
The UK study has come to the conclusion that
in situations where fatigue is a factor, decisions
should be made by teams rather than
individuals when possible. If that isn’t practical,
then organizations should train their employees
to identify the inflexible thinking that can result
from fatigue and possibly delay crucial
decisions.
Women can detect true beauty
Trying to woo a women just by posting your
best –looking snap alongside an online profile
may not be the best idea after all –a study has
found that women can identify a physically
attractive man just by reading his profile.
According to the university study, goodlooking
men were able to convey their confidence and
attractiveness in their written self –description
and the women volunteers were able to
recognize their beauty without being shown the
man’s photograph, a newspaper reported.
Men whose photos were rated as attractive had
written profiles that were also deemed to be
attractive, despite words and images being
rated by different judges, the study found. As
part of the study, 100 men’s profiles were
divided into four sets of 25 with each of the 50
female rating one subset of 25 photos and a
different subset of 25 profile texts. As many as
50 female university students were asked by
academics to examine profiles and pictures of
100 men aged 22 -25 who had posted on a
popular dating website.
Each of these students was given 25
photographs and advised to rate how attractive
they found each man if they were to consider
him for a date, short –term sexual encounter
or long –term relationship. The women were
then given written profiles of 25 different men
and again asked how attractive each seemed
for a date, for sex and for a long- term
committed relationship. In addition to this, they
were also asked to rate each candidate on how
kind, confident, in telligent, funny or humourous
he seemed from his profile.
Remove scars the natural way
To clear scars caused by accidents, roast
turmeric powder (khadi haldi, not the packed
turmeric available in markets) and mix with
desighee to it. Gently apply the mixture on the
scars with fingertips and wash off after 20
minutes. This mixture completely clears scars,
but it is always good to ask your physician
before starting off on any beauty regime.
Another homemade remedy to clear scars is
by using baking soda. This is a natural exfoliator
which aids in gently scraping the scar tissue
layer by layer. Make a light paste using two parts
of water and one part of baking soda. Gently
scrub the scarred area with this mixture for
about a minute. Rinse off. Make sure you avoid
rubbing vigorously.
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