Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Nov 13: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh , who is also a nationally known Diabetologist, today made a strong plea to prevent Diabetes in the young in order to conserve and streamline India’s enormous youth energy.
Speaking at a function organised on the eve of “World Diabetes Day” by the International Board of Directors of Lions Club, led by its International Chairman Naresh Aggarwal, Dr Jitendra Singh said, prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in younger age groups is no longer a concern only of medical professionals or healthcare personnel, but it has assumed a national priority because it threatens to drain away the vital youth energy of India, which is on the threshold of becoming a world superpower. He said, with more than 70% of India’s population below the age of 40 years, it is primarily the youth of India who are going to be the architects of PM Modi’s “New India” and therefore, the nation can hardly afford the luxury of incapacitating the youth’s work capacity or energy even by a minutest fraction.
Dr Jitendra Singh observed that when Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus strikes an individual at a young age, the challenge is two-fold. First, he said, the individual is expected to keep his blood glucose levels strictly on the lower side, so as to ensure that his eyes, kidneys, heart and other vital organs do not get affected over a longer span of life that he will have to live with in dealing with Diabetes. Secondly, this also poses an additional economic liability for lifelong management of diabetes for a longer number of years. For this purpose, he said, the government is working on different options including a general health insurance policy but, at the same time, the non-government agencies, and in fact the civil society in general, have to take a call.
Dr Jitendra Singh congratulated the efforts of the Lions Club for volunteering to provide health awareness in the field of Diabetes. He said, the International Lions Club having an Indian as its current International President, is a pleasant and proud coincidence, and hoped that with an Indian heading an important body like this, the future activities of the Lions Club will also carry a mark of Indian priorities.
On the occasion, the Lions Club also launched its “Mobile Diabetes Center” on van, primarily meant to cater to rural areas. A Diabetes Detection Camp and Reflexology/ Acupressure outlet was also put up with the collaboration of Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.
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