Foreword

Diabetes, with its long term complications, and myriad of disorders associated with it, is a major health hazard. Worldwide at least 200 million people have diabetes, this figure is likely to be more than double by 2030. Unfortunately, India has the largest number of diabetic patients in the world.

The disease is such that it cannot be cured, only managed. Diabetes, which was once prevalent only among adults, is now found commonly in younger generation and children due to changes in lifestyle and imbalanced eating habits.

Facts state that in India, there are going to be eighty percent of all diabetics from the entire world population concentrated here. This can make India the diabetic capital of the world. Also, these diabetes statistics show that the disease is not one that affects only the rich, though it is most likely to affect those with a sedentary lifestyle and who consume diets that are mainly unhealthy.

In keeping with this scenario, India has long passed the stage of a diabetes epidemic. The problem has now reached in “Pandemic Proportions”. To put it simply, it is now a very large public health problem, growing astronomically year after year. More than a matter of individual health and well being, the pandemic calls for an effort in which attention must be paid not only to treating a patient with diabetes but also involves a collective response which includes the setting up of a complete infrastructure involving attention not only towards its prevention but making diabetes care available, accessible and affordable to all concerned.

Against this background, The Times of India is organising India Diabetes Summit to be held on 30th June in Delhi. The conference is about Healthcare Solutions for Preventing Diabetes and Growing Concerns about the Escalating Health Threats that it pose. Focus will be placed to engage relevant stakeholders around the conference to deliberate on necessary actions to manage diabetes, the so called lifestyle disease. The forum will enable participants to share knowledge and experiences, which together will go a long way in evolving best practices.