Ludhiana, June 28
Even as the incidence of diabetes is increasing in the country at an alarming rate and the Indian population being more prone to the condition, the healthcare services to manage diabetes and fight the subsequent complications, are simply inadequate.

These observations were made by Dr Parminder Singh, consultant, endocrinologist, at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital while addressing a seminar on "Present Scenario of Diabetes in India', organised by the National Integrated Medical Association here yesterday.

He said nearly 40 per cent indoor bed facilities in the hospitals were occupied by diabetic patients for the treatment of related complications.These could be nephropathy, neuropathy, cardiology procedures like CABG, angioplasty, or conditions like stroke or diabetic foot.In other words, a diabetic was always at risk to get indoor and intensive care at different stages of the illness.

Dr Singh stressed that in the diabetic families, screening of children should start right from puberty when lots of biological changes took place in the body."If a good lifestyle is maintained with adequate dietary precautions, added with daily aerobic exercises like walking, jogging, coupled with proper medicines, the longevity of life to the tune of 20 years can be achieved."

He made a strong case for constant monitoring of the blood sugar level while maintaining that fasting and post meal glucose level was adequate for screening purpose though theoretically, GTT (glucose tolerance test and) and glycilated hemoglobin should be ordered in those patients who could afford it.

Initiating the discussion, NIMA secretary Surendra Gupta asked the guest speaker to elaborate the pattern of incidence of diabetes in India. He further asked as to why despite poverty and predominantly rural dominance, the disease was spreading fast and physicians at the primary level, were finding it tough to help the diabetics and manage related complications. E

Earlier, NIMA president Rajesh Thaper explained in detail the ongoing projects of the body towards community health services.

Ludhiana, June 28
The health education cell of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) will organise a lecture on stroke on June 30 to make people aware of its symptoms.

According to convener of the health education cell Rajoo Singh Chhina, the lecture to be delivered by professor, neurology department, All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, M.V. Padma, will basically deal with early recognition and prevention of a brain stroke.

Elaborating further, professor and head, neurology department, DMCH, Gagandeep Singh, said the stroke had become the second major cause of death. Nearly 3 million people die because of this in developing countries like India.

Two-thirds of strokes occur among the low and middle-income groups of people. In India, the average age of stroke patients was 15 years less than those in the developed countries.

Making similar observations, associate professor of neurology Rajinder Bansal said cases of stroke would increase in developing countries like India in the next 30 years. “This is because of increasing life span since the average age for occurrence of stroke is between 60 to 70 years.”

He further remarked that it was not possible to treat the stroke patients in the past. Two important developments, however, had completely changed this phenomenon. These include introduction of stroke units in the hospital and development of thrombolysis treatment.

Its outcome clearly shows that the stroke units, which were specialised intensive care wards with specialised doctors and nurses, had improved the recovery rate of the stroke patients.

According to DMCH principal Daljit Singh, the institution (DMCH) was the first in the North India (including Delhi) to develop the concept of stroke unit care.

“It is eight- bedded fully equipped, state of the art modern stroke-ICU, where comprehensive care is provided by stroke neurologists, intensivists, pulmonologists, internists, physiotherapists and dieticians. Over 2,000 patients have been treated in this unit since its inception. As far as thrombolysis treatment is concerned, the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) drug was now available for treating acute stroke. The drug could only be useful if given within first three hours of stroke. If given later or without properly ascertaining its likely benefit, it could prove fatal. Therefore, a high degree of expertise is required for using tPA”, he added.

Daljit Singh informed that the neurology unit of DMCH had now equipped itself with a stroke hotline number (98153-55100). People with symptoms of stroke could contact the hospital through this hotline, 24 hours a day with a neurologist at the hospital.

This hotline will enable the stroke team to activate all concerned personnel so that by the time the patient reaches the emergency ward, all arrangements for the administration of tPA had be done.