- MoU aimed at forging a health partnership to cater to non-communicable diseases like diabetes in the state of Karnataka
- Improving awareness, advocacy, capacity building and treatment of diabetes in the state
- Support towards footcare and eye-care awareness at government centers introduced under the new MoU for people living with diabetes
Bengaluru, 6 August 2024: Government of Karnataka today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF), a non-profit organisation set up by Novo Nordisk India, to launch the ‘Changing Diabetes® Barometer’ (CDB) program. The MoU signing ceremony was presided by Hon’ble Minister of Health, Government of Karnataka, Shri Dinesh Gundu Rao; Dr Naveen Bhat Y (IAS) – Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Government of Karnataka and Mr Vikrant Shrotriya – Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation. Also present at the occasion were Shri Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary to Govt. of Karnataka, MoHFW; Shri D. Randeep, Commissioner, Commissionerate, MoHFW and Mr John Dawber, CVP and MD, Novo Nordisk GBS.
The MoU was signed between Dr Naveen Bhat Y (IAS) – Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Government of Karnataka and Mr Vikrant Shrotriya – Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, today.
As part of this MoU, Community Diabetes Centres (CDCs) shall be developed in various district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres across the state. These will assist introduce a holistic approach for focused diabetes care, as a part of the Outpatient Department (OPD) consultations. The pilot projects will be launched in three districts of Karnataka – Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Karnataka and Yadgiri. The program aims at mapping diabetes impact on real-time basis and promote early diagnosis and treatment options along with lifestyle modifications.
Lauding the effort, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao today underscored the Karnataka government’s unwavering commitment to improving the health and well-being of its citizens. Addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, Minister Rao highlighted diabetes as a particular concern, citing alarming statistics from the Indian Council of Medical Research.
“The health of Karnataka people is our top priority,” Minister Gundu Rao said. “We are dedicated to enhancing our healthcare system to effectively address the challenges posed by non-communicable diseases. Diabetes, in particular, is a crisis that demands immediate attention. With over 101 million Indians living with diabetes and millions more at risk, prevention and early detection are crucial.”
The Minister emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach, including strengthening healthcare workforce training, raising awareness, and expanding screening programs. He expressed concern over the fact that more than half of those with diabetes are unaware of their condition.
“Our government is committed to ensuring the health of mothers and children through regular screenings and awareness campaigns in both urban and rural areas,” Minister Rao added.
The Minister extended an invitation to Novo Nordisk to partner with the government in combating not only diabetes but also other major health challenges such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, obesity, and hypertension.
“We believe that a strong collaboration with industry leaders like Novo Nordisk can significantly impact public health outcomes,” Minister Rao concluded.
Speaking about the initiative, Shri Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary to Govt. of Karnataka, Health and Family Welfare Department, said, “This MoU with Novo Nordisk Education Foundation is a promising step towards creating awareness and addressing the growing numbers by working towards developing focused and strategic care for people. I congratulate NNEF and the National Health Mission for this transformative collaboration and wish them success.”
Commenting on the development, Shri D. Randeep, Commissioner, Commissionerate Health and Family Services, said, “The statistics around people living with diabetes as well as those with pre-diabetic condition are alarming. We need active measures to ensure early detection through screening and referral at primary-and community-level. There is a need to create awareness around Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in a user-friendly and sustained manner. These, in turn, can lead to lifestyle modifications, thereby reducing the burden of diabetes. We are happy to forge this partnership with NNEF and look forward to working together to strengthen the diabetes care model for the state of Karnataka and look at diabetes in a more focused fashion at our NCD centers.”
Appreciating the effort, Managing Trustee, NNEF, Mr Vikrant Shrotriya said, “We are honoured to partner with the Government of Karnataka in yet another promising frontier aimed at bringing down the diabetes burden in the state. Changing Diabetes® Barometer (CDB) program highlights NNEF’s unique ‘ACT’ approach – increasing Awareness, building Capacity and elevating Treatment across Karnataka. Till now, we have partnered with several state governments in various capacities to develop programs that support diabetes care under the public-private partnership (PPP) framework. Our focus is to contribute to Karnataka’s primary healthcare infrastructure by building capacity and capability. This will help bringing the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this disease to the forefront within the society. Considering the alarming diabetes statistics across India, we aim to support policy initiatives by various states and the Union government to benefit masses.”
The objectives of this partnership are to improve the overall diabetes care ecosystem in the state of Karnataka by means of several interventions: creating awareness and advocacy for NCDs like diabetes among the masses, a 360-degree upskilling and training model for doctors and healthcare workers at primary and secondary healthcare facilities, improved infrastructural support, digitisation support and education and counselling for lifestyle modification via Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material.
