VELLORE: The Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism’s Diabetology Healthcare Team 2015 of the Christian Medical College (CMC) has been awarded the Excellence in Healthcare award for Diabetology by the South Asian British Medical Journal.
The award considered to be the most prestigious amongst the health-care sector in India recognises innovations particularly in clinical care, education and research.
Hitherto instituted exclusively for India it now has been extended to the South Asian countries of Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar this year.
Dr Nihal Thomas, head of the department received the award last week at a function held in Mumbai in which a number healthcare leaders, luminaries and academicians from across the world participated.
There were more than 950 entries this year for 12 categories that included the fields of diabetology, cardiology and pulomonology. The entire process of screening commenced in the month of June this year when entries from healthcare institutions were invited to submit their proposals based on performance infrastructure, team ability, innovations, limitations, challenges, sustainability and subsequent plans for evolution.
After two rounds of screening, ten entries were short-listed in each category and 3 applicants including CMC were asked to make final presentation at the penultimate round.
The CMC team bagged the award of Diabetology Team of the year, for its activities that have spanned nearly a decade and a half for all that it has contributed for patient care, educational activities, research, outreach activities and healthcare advocacy.
Nihal explained that the core team of 60 members that handled around 30,000 diabetes patients a year was able to demonstrate the concept that the teamwork of paramedics and medicos can handle chronic disease healthcare models effectively.
The department has now trained around 750 educators and councillors over the last 12 years, who now serve in 20 states across the country.
These educational programmes, with support from the World Diabetes Foundation are now self-sustaining.
The core team also worked with CMC’s distance education department to train doctors not only from remote parts of India, but also from some countries in Africa, the Middle east, Bangladesh, Nepal, Malaysia, Brunei and UK.
A footwear and foot-care training programme in conjunction with the Sri Lankan government has trained orthotists from 6 provinces in Sri Lanka, which now contribute towards footwear manufacture across different parts of that country.
The department’s epidemiological study undertaken across schools in Vellore district has led to devising programmes to improve nutrition and physical activity amongst students which are now underway.
The volume and quality of research has also led to collaboration with Karolinska university in Sweden for the study of genetics of Maturity Onset Diabetes, Genome-wide Array studies caloriemetry and NMR spectroscopy, among low birth-weight children were taken into account before the award winner was determined.
The hospital has been given the National Citizens Award as India’s best employer, the MM Award for Excellence in Healthcare and was given two awards by ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company.