In a first of its kind, 15 schools in city to receive training on diabetes management
24 July 2014 5:53 AM IST
The project titled Kids and Diabetes in School (KIDS) is being conducted by the Public Health Foundation (PHFI) of India in collaboration with AIIMS, International Diabetes Federation (IDF), HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) and a pharmaceutical company Sanofi to foster a environment that creates a better understanding of diabetes and supports children with diabetes.
‘We had launched a scheme called Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojna in 2011 to focus on awareness in school children about certain diseases and conduct health check ups but this campaign focuses mainly on the conventional diseases.
But, there has been a steep increase in the number of diabetes patients especially children and adolescents, hence such initiative is the need of the hour,’ said Anindo Majumdar, principal secretary of education in Delhi at the launch of the information pack.
Seven private and eight government schools will receive training from experts in health care and information packs on how to manage diabetes.
The training sessions will focus on educating teachers and school staff on diabetes, symptoms associated with episodes of high and low blood sugar and how to respond in case of emergency situations.
A ‘diabetes in schools’ app available in English and Hindi featuring interactive elements of the pack,
will also be launched later in the year.
‘We have done a pre-testing for the information packs in two government schools in Delhi and the response has been good. Hence, we decided to go ahead with these schools as a pilot project which will conclude in December. In the second phase a more number of schools will be taken up,’ Majumdar said.
The project is also being simultaneously conducted in 15 schools of Brazil on pilot basis.
‘We want children to feel comfortable managing their diabetes in school, while at the same time educating them on how best to deal with the disease,’ said David Chaney, senior education specialist at IDF.
‘We also plan to translate the information packs in eight international languages including Spanish, German, Chinese, Arabic and three others, to implement it in other countries as well,’ added David.
The IDF has estimated that there 65 million people with diabetes in India which is expected to rise to 109 million by 2035.
‘Delhi government is well aware of the problem of diabetes and it is as common in lower social economic groups as in elites. We plan to implement this project in all Delhi government schools after the completion of first phase,’ said Adarsh Kumar, additional director of school health scheme in Delhi government.
‘Creating an enabling environment at school and community level requires cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders. Through the KIDS initiative, we have made an attempt to sensitise teachers, parents, students on diabetes and its related complications, many of which can be prevented through a healthy school environment,’ said Dr Monika Arora, director of PHFI.
‘We had launched a scheme called Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojna in 2011 to focus on awareness in school children about certain diseases and conduct health check ups but this campaign focuses mainly on the conventional diseases.
But, there has been a steep increase in the number of diabetes patients especially children and adolescents, hence such initiative is the need of the hour,’ said Anindo Majumdar, principal secretary of education in Delhi at the launch of the information pack.
Seven private and eight government schools will receive training from experts in health care and information packs on how to manage diabetes.
The training sessions will focus on educating teachers and school staff on diabetes, symptoms associated with episodes of high and low blood sugar and how to respond in case of emergency situations.
A ‘diabetes in schools’ app available in English and Hindi featuring interactive elements of the pack,
will also be launched later in the year.
‘We have done a pre-testing for the information packs in two government schools in Delhi and the response has been good. Hence, we decided to go ahead with these schools as a pilot project which will conclude in December. In the second phase a more number of schools will be taken up,’ Majumdar said.
The project is also being simultaneously conducted in 15 schools of Brazil on pilot basis.
‘We want children to feel comfortable managing their diabetes in school, while at the same time educating them on how best to deal with the disease,’ said David Chaney, senior education specialist at IDF.
‘We also plan to translate the information packs in eight international languages including Spanish, German, Chinese, Arabic and three others, to implement it in other countries as well,’ added David.
The IDF has estimated that there 65 million people with diabetes in India which is expected to rise to 109 million by 2035.
‘Delhi government is well aware of the problem of diabetes and it is as common in lower social economic groups as in elites. We plan to implement this project in all Delhi government schools after the completion of first phase,’ said Adarsh Kumar, additional director of school health scheme in Delhi government.
‘Creating an enabling environment at school and community level requires cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders. Through the KIDS initiative, we have made an attempt to sensitise teachers, parents, students on diabetes and its related complications, many of which can be prevented through a healthy school environment,’ said Dr Monika Arora, director of PHFI.
Next Story
