Jaipur,3rd December 2019: Novo Nordisk Education Foundation unveiled the first-year report of India Diabetes Care Index under the 'Impact India: 1000-Day Challenge' programme. According to the report, HbA1c level, the best recommended indicator of long-term blood sugar control,increased from 8.26% to 8.37% in Jaipur.

HbA1c test gives an idea about the average level of blood sugar control for 3 months. Around 11, 400 people with an average age of 54 years were part of the analysis in the city, out of which 60% were male and 40% were female.

Speaking about the report, Dr. Sailesh Lodha, DM Endocrinologist, Eternal Hospital said, “Increase in the level of HbA1c in Jaipur is a serious concern. We need to make concrete efforts to manage diabetes in more effective way by changing life style and regular consultation with health care providers. People living with diabetes can lead a healthy life if they develop a good balance of physical activity, healthy eating and monitor their blood sugar levels at regular times.”

Talking about the programme, Dr. Anil Shinde, Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, said, “At Novo Nordisk, we have been working towards changing diabetes for nearly 100 years. With the Impact India initiative, we have set an ambitious target and hope to see India emerge as a role model in diabetes management. The “Impact India: 1000-Day Challenge” Programme was introduced to address the growing concern of uncontrolled diabetes in India”.

The programme was launched a year ago, to address the issue of sub optimally controlled diabetes in India. The ambition of the programme is to reduce the national average HbA1c by 1%, which can help reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications significantly in India.  iDCI® (Indian Diabetes Care Index) was introduced in 2018 as a part of the programme to improve diabetes care in the country. Based on big data analytics, iDCI® has been providing a real-time view of the average HbA1c in India across select cities. Under the Impact India programme, digital platforms are being leveraged to partner with healthcare practitioners (doctors and paramedics) to evolve and implement an approach to diabetes care appropriate for India. iDCI® is a dynamic tool that not only tracks the status of diabetes care but also helps to increase awareness, motivate and sensitise the healthcare professionals (HCPs) and society.

The IMPACT India programme will continue its three-pronged approach over the next two years through interactions with healthcare practitioners (HCPs), societal/patient engagement and monitoring.