NNEF joins hands with Government Institute of Medical Sciences, Greater Noida, to provide better access to Type 1 diabetes care

• The Centre of Excellence will supply insulin for underprivileged children with Type 1 diabetes in western Uttar Pradesh, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality
• It will provide support, education, and quality training to develop a pool of resource personnel for managing childhood diabetes

The Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF) launched a Centre for Excellence (CoE) for children with Type 1 diabetes in collaboration with the established Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS), Greater Noida, today. The newly inaugurated CoE will help improve the quality of care for Type 1 diabetes and ensure availability of insulin supply to children with Type 1 diabetes in the region.

Underprivileged children in India who live with Type 1 diabetes may not have uniform access to insulin for treatment, leading to debilitating health consequences. This CoE is an effort to offer free care for these children and advocate with the government for better and sustainable access to insulin supplies. It will also provide support, education, and quality training to develop a pool of resource personnel for managing childhood diabetes. Further, it will help create a registry and promote research and development (R&D) to encourage the generation of scientific publications and provide appropriate recommendations for the management of diabetes mellitus in Indian children.

Commenting on the launch, Vikrant Shrotriya, Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation, said, “We are happy to announce the launch of our new Centre of Excellence as part of our strategy to strengthen access to better diabetes care and are grateful to GIMS for joining us in this endeavour. This is the first of multiple CoEs to be launched in the country and it will serve patients from western Uttar Pradesh – an underserved area for Type 1 diabetes treatment, especially for children.”

Lene Hylling Axelsson, Corporate Vice President, Novo Nordisk GBS, stated, “Access to life-saving insulin is imperative for individuals living with Type 1 diabetes². The launch of our new CoE is aimed at supporting children with Type 1 diabetes with limited to zero access to diabetes care and bridging this gap. I am confident this collaboration with GIMS will benefit those in need and will bring us closer to our purpose of driving change to defeat diabetes.”

Dr (Brig) Rakesh Gupta, Director, Government Institute of Medical Sciences, Greater Noida, said, “India has the highest estimated number of prevalent Type 1 diabetes cases in people under 20 years of age. Access to the right care is crucial and we are pleased to have found a partner in the Novo Nordisk Education Foundation.”

74.2 million people in India live with diabetes. As per the latest estimates, there are more than 229,000 people with Type 1 diabetes under the age of 20 years in the country. Since the population of those living with Type 1 diabetes is miniscule compared to those with Type 2 diabetes, the former may not receive the attention it deserves, often leading to severe health consequences for children living with the condition.

The Centre of Excellence (CoE) is a part of Novo Nordisk Education Foundation’s access to diabetes care strategy. The strategy is aimed at improving the health condition and quality of life of children with Type 1 diabetes, strengthening the capacity of the healthcare system to diagnose and treat Type 1 diabetes in children, driving advocacy to get the required attention to care from policymakers, and sharing learnings through periodic articles. Through initiatives such as these, so far, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation has improved access to better care for over 6,000 children with Type 1 diabetes across the country.