COIMBATORE: The National Health Mission (NHM), Tamil Nadu, through its initiative of treating children with Type 1 diabetes at Specialised Care Centres (SCCs) in government medical facilities across many districts, has shown remarkable results over the last one and a half years with
a ten-fold reduction in Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), said Dr A Arun Thamburaj, Mission Director, NHM Tamil Nadu. DKA is a life-threatening acute metabolic complication of diabetes caused by severe insulin deficiency.
Dr Krishnan Swaminathan of the Idhayangal Trust from Coimbatore, who is associated with the project, said the specialised care centres have significantly contributed to reducing HbA1c, a measure of average blood glucose levels in the affected children.
"Before the launch of this initiative, diabetic emergency admissions for DKA exceeded 2,000 annually, but it has now reduced to 167. Additionally, the average HbA1c has dropped from 10.3% to 8.7%, which is direct impact of this project launched by the health department and NHM Tamil Nadu.
This HbA1c reduction equals to a 30-40% decrease in the risk of kidney failure and blindness caused by Type 1 diabetes. If we continue these focused measures over a long period, we can eliminate such complications entirely," Dr Krishnan said.
NHM Tamil Nadu has opened centres at the Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Egmore (Chennai), government hospitals and medical college hospitals in Salem, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, Theni, Tirunelveli, and recently Tiruppur benefiting 3,100 children affected by Type 1 diabetes.
Plans are underway to open additional centres in Karur, Dindigul, Nilgiris, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Chidambaram, and Tiruvarur.
"We are working to open these centres at seven more government hospitals within the next two months and aim to cover all districts in the coming days," Dr Arun said.
"This centre provides end-to-end care offering treatment, medical support, education, and counselling on par with global standards at no cost. The centre at Tiruppur was opened a few days ago to support close to 250 children in the district. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and treatment, including pen insulins, glucometers, glucose strips, glucose sensors, dedicated diabetes educators, and a round-the-clock emergency helpline," Dr Krishnan added.