Ensure insulin for diabetic children
The government should ensure universal healthcare for children with type-1 diabetes so they can lead a normal life, said a campaigner fighting the medical condition.
Prof AK Azad Khan, president of the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB), said just as human beings cannot live without oxygen or food, children with type-1 diabetes cannot live without insulin.
“So the government should treat type-1 diabetes among children as a human rights issue. If it does so, it would not be tough to battle type-1 diabetes.”
Khan said about 3 percent of the 71 lakh estimated diabetic patients in Bangladesh are children with type-1 diabetes.
“The government should be able to help treat these children,” he said, adding that the wealthy families would buy the insulin while the poor should get state support.
He made the comments at a programme -- Changing Diabetes in Children (CDIC) -- at Birdem Mother and Child Hospital-2 in the capital's Segun Bagicha.
Danish insulin-maker Novo Nordisk has been running the project to improve diabetes care for children since 2010.
At present, 1,800 poor children are involved with the programme, which is giving them free access to insulin products, blood sugar measurement, and knowledge about diabetes as well as ensuring free education, food and clothing, said Bedowra Zabeen, project coordinator.
Peter Ulvskjold, corporate vice-president of Novo Nordisk, said the Danish company would continue to support the CDIC initiative.
The rising burden of diabetes is a big threat to sustainable development goals as health and development is closely linked, said Ulvskjold.
“One cannot be achieved without the other.” At the programme, three children who have kept their diabetes under control for the last one year were honoured.
Novo Nordisk has been working to improve diabetes care for over 50 years in close collaboration with the DAB, supporting it to raise awareness and run health education programmes.
Every year, 20,000 doctors take part in programmes aimed at improving their knowledge on diabetes care, said Anand Shetty, managing director of Novo Nordisk Bangladesh.
He said 12,000 doctors have benefited from the distance learning programme.
Md Sayef Uddin, secretary-general of the DAB, said efforts must be continued so that children with type-1 diabetes can lead a normal life.
The number of diabetic patients is expected to double by 2040 in Bangladesh. In 2015, 129,313 died from diabetes-induced complexities, according to International Diabetes Federation.
Eskayef, owned by Transcom Group, has been manufacturing insulin for Novo Nordisk in Bangladesh since 2012, while Transcom Distribution Company distributes insulin products across the country.
“Novo Nordisk gives priority to supporting the growing need for treatment of children living with diabetes,” said Mohammad Saiful, head of marketing of Novo Nordisk Bangladesh.
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