National Diabetes Prevention Program

Diabetes is a rapidly growing health challenge and has the potential to become an epidemic especially in developing countries like India and China. It is projected that by 2025 the number of cases with diabetes in India would be 69.9 million with a vast majority still undiagnosed. We are now seeing that non-communicable diseases or disorders are becoming more of a socioeconomic burden than the communicable diseases like water-borne or vector-borne conditions like TB, HIV, etc. that we have been seeing in the last 10 decades.

In response to this expanding problem, the Indian government launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) in 2010 with a focus of strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral of major NCDs, including a program for Diabetes called The National Diabetes Prevention Program or DPP for short.

The National Diabetes Prevention Program, often known as the National DPP, is a public-private partnership that aims to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes through evidence-based lifestyle changes to lower the risk of diabetes. The  programme aims to help people with diabetes or those having a high risk of getting diabetes to lose weight, become more active, thus managing Type 2 diabetes.

Objective

With the National Diabetes Prevention Program, the federal government, community-based organisations, employers, health care providers and academics collaborated to prevent or delay the progression of type 2 diabetes in individuals with prediabetes, by making diabetes treatment more accessible to the Indian population.

• Bringing public and private groups together to practice evidence-based, cost-effective ways to help communities avoid getting type 2 diabetes.
• Diabetes prevention through early identification of high-risk individuals and health education
• A reduction in morbidity and mortality in the high-risk population by early diagnosis and proper treatment
• Preventative measures for acute and chronic consequences of the condition such as cardiovascular, renal, and ocular difficulties
• Providing opportunities to people with diabetes to have equal chances to reach their physical potential and academic potential
• Rehabilitation services for people with diabetes who are either partially or completely disabled.

Approach

• A crucial component of the capacity-building process for the National Diabetes Control Programme is to provide primary health care for diabetes
• Focus on training doctors, nurses, paramedics, specialists, policymakers, the general public, people with diabetes and their families.
• Diabetes workshops and 2-months of full-time training for all cadres of health care workers including a total of 3000 doctors (1000 every year), 1080 community nurses (360 per year) and other medical staff. This includes training on foot care, nutrition, and diabetes education.
• It is anticipated that the trained workforce will aid in establishing diabetes treatment centres within the existing healthcare system in India's smaller cities and towns.
• Education on diabetes self-care will be provided to people living with diabetes as well as their families by medical professionals, community nurses, and diabetes specialists.
• Diabetes health awareness initiatives and activities will address the public and policymakers.

Bottomline

In conclusion, considering the ever-increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus, a strategy for strengthening the health system is required. This strategy should include standards of practice at all stages, nationally agreed management protocols, and a regulatory framework. The Indian government has taken some steps at the national level, which is good, but they need to be carried out at the regional level before it becomes a pandemic in India.