Ludhiana, March 26
Keeping in view a large number of children suffering from diabetes, the Department of Medicine at Christian Medical College and Hospital has decided to start a juvenile diabetic club.
In the first batch of the club, which is likely to start from the last week of April, the department will enroll nearly 20 diabetic children between the age group of six to 25 years. The members of the club will undergo free regular check-ups, free educational talks and counselling sessions with doctors. For amusement of the club members, the department will also arrange picnics, short trips and painting competitions.
The main objectives of the club, however, will be to bring such children closer to each other by offering them psychological support and helping them to cope with it as they continue to maintain their lifestyle. By becoming members of the club, the kids will get focussed care and follow-up treatment for themselves till they finally learn to manage themselves in varied conditions.
Giving detailed information, Dr Mary John said it was seen often that patients getting diabetes at an early age found it unbearable to cope with the stress of having the disease. Also, it was being felt that they were not getting follow-up treatment or a regular check-up, she added. By getting them enrolled in the club the department could help them get free check-ups for their life time, she added.
Dr Abhay Daniel, lecturer in the same department, said the children would be trained in such a way that they could treat themselves while making minimal compromise with their lifestyle. He said the children would be made to learn self-monitoring of their sugar levels and injecting themselves with the required dosage of insulin. He said he was already having nearly eight glucometers and was in the process of getting more.
The department would arrange counselling sessions for their parents by telling them to do away with any such restrictions and instead let their children enjoy life like normal children.
Dr Daniel said the children and their parents would be made aware of the carbohydrate content of various food items and ways to adjust the dosage of insulin to be injected immediately after the consumption of food. Even while playing, their sugar level could go down at a very fast rate but the situation could be overcome by getting it monitored and injecting themselves with right amount of insulin.
Once the children were trained and made self-reliable in combating the situations, the club members could even be taken for overnight camps, said Dr Daniel. He said the members above 20 years could help train the younger group. Once they crossed the age of 25 years, they would be called for counselling of children enrolled in subsequent batches.
Dr Daniel said even though the department would be enrolling children of the age six years and above, the department was getting several cases of neo-natal diabetic patients as well as those just one to two-year-old. But such children were highly dependent on their mother and could hardly learn self-management of the disease. Thus, such children who were below the age of six years were not being inducted as club members.
The doctors said they had already tied up with Eli Lilly and Company for sponsoring outdoor activities, maintenance of logistics and bringing out printed literature for the awareness of club members.
