In order to save the lives of both the mother and the child, the Delhi government has decided to make diabetes test mandatory for all pregnant women.
Inaugurating a symposium on “Diabetes Management in Pregnant Women”, Delhi health minister Kiran Walia on Saturday said that by making the diabetes test mandatory, the mothers and their family members can be educated about the ill effects of the disease on their health. Further, the government would soon appoint “diabetes educators”, who would carry out awareness programmes in various communities to ensure prevention of diabetes. Anganwadi workers and manpower in government hospitals will be trained for creating awareness about diabetes, she said.
Ms Walia also said that the government would launch concerted drives against the clinics or doctors involved in putting up advertisements claiming to cure diabetes 100 per cent. She added that people should not fall prey to such advertisements and consult qualified experts to know about the “do’s and the don’ts”.
She expressed concern over increasing incidence of diabetes in JJ clusters, where patients also include children. She said that she would call a meeting of private and government hospital heads to explore the possibility of helping such children by making free treatment and free insulin available to them.
She also said that the city government would popularise the campaign against diabetes and blood pressure in Delhi on the same line as “Pulse polio immunisation programme”.