e-registration of diabetics begins in Jan
A nationwide electronic diabetes patient registry will be rolled out in Bangladesh in January next year with a view to delivering quality services.
Novo Nordisk and the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (DAB) yesterday signed an initial agreement to develop the registry in a bid to determine the exact number of diabetic patients.
The data will be recorded through DAB's institutions and affiliated organisations with support from the world's biggest insulin maker.
Frederik Kier, senior vice president of Novo Nordisk, and Md Sayef Uddin, secretary general of the DAB, signed the memorandum of understanding at a programme at the Dhaka Club in the capital.
“It is truly a historic occasion. It is a dream come true,” said Prof AK Azad Khan, president of DAB, at the ceremony.
He said Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, DAB founder, wanted to establish an electronic database but it had not materialised because of, among other reasons, fund constraints.
Now data can be shared, analysed and used to strengthen the fight against diabetes, he added.
According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 69 lakh people are living with diabetes in Bangladesh and the figure will double to 1.37 crore by 2045.
Kier said it was in their belief that seven million was not the exact number of patients and so the national electronic patient registry would offer a quality management system to improve diabetes treatment.
“The new nationwide registry will provide health outcome data to help monitor patient needs and identify health problems that need prompt attention. It will also help address the rising burden of diabetes to achieve Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.
Sayef Uddin said the DAB has been working on the disease for a long time but still does not know the exact number of patients.
Globally, the number of people with diabetes is increasing whereas it is decreasing as per the IDF estimate, Sayef Uddin said.
“So, we should know the exact number... If we have the exact number of diabetic patients we will be able to determine how to combat the disease,” he said.
Some four million diabetic patients are registered with the DAB and its affiliates, according to Sayef Uddin.
“It is a historic moment in the country's efforts towards combating diabetes,” said Anand Shetty, managing director of Novo Nordisk Bangladesh.
At present, patient data are registered manually and if any patient loses the papers, the record is lost forever. But the electronic database will store the data and help patients take treatment anywhere in the country.
Shetty said Novo Nordisk has been working with the DAB under a partnership for the last 60 years improving diabetes care by way of raising awareness and understanding about diabetes, and educating patients and doctors.
Novo Nordisk in partnership with Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a leading pharmaceutical company owned by Transcom Group, has been manufacturing insulin in Bangladesh since 2012.
Transcom Distribution Company distributes the insulin products across the country.
Founded in 1956, the DAB comprises 102 medical centres and hospitals in 60 districts and has accredited physicians in 450 upazilas.
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