COIMBATORE: The National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, is planning to open specialised care centres for treating Type 1 diabetes in six more districts, including Salem and Dharmapuri within two months. A week ago such a centre was opened in Chennai to offer complete care to children suffering from Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease.
Dr A Arun Thamburaj, Mission Director of the NHM, Tamil Nadu, told TNIE that they will launch centres in the first phase at Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital at Salem, Government Raja Mirasudar Hospital in Thanjavur, K A P Viswanathan Government Medical College in Tiruchy and Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, and the government medical college hospitals in Tiruvarur and Dharmapuri.
Health department officials say around 2,600 children have registered and are receiving treatment for Type 1 diabetes in government hospitals across the state.
They would be taken care of at these centres. These centres will be expanded to all districts in a phased manner, they added. Additionally, NHM Tamil Nadu is preparing a Standard Operating Procedure to streamline the treatment protocol for children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at all government hospitals.
“This centre provides end-to-end care to children suffering from Type 1 diabetes. It offers treatment, medical support, education and counselling on par with global standards at no cost. We have also roped in Coimbatore-based Idhayangal Trust, which has experience handling Type 1 diabetes patients,” Thamburaj added.
Dr Krishnan Swaminathan of Idhayangal Trust said that it is an initiative taken by the government to ensure no poor child with Type 1 diabetes suffers due to the lack of treatment.