- The service shall be provided by a multidisciplinary team of trained medical professionals and nurses who understand the queries and concerns of patients, and their families, and will guide them to find the right solutions.
- In India, 76 million people have Diabetes. Due to lifestyle changes, the age of onset of Diabetes is lowering and younger people are developing Diabetes.
- In Tamil Nadu, nearly 50% of COVID patients are diabetic
The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a dark shadow over the life and health of the population across the globe. Among the people most at risk from its dire complications are those with Diabetes.
To enable the patients achieve and maintain good control over Diabetes, and thus lower their risks from COVID, Kauvery Hospital has launched the Diabetes Helpline Centre.
The 24*7 service is rendered by trained medical professionals and nurses who will respond to the queries from public and guide them to the appropriate expertise.
“COVID -19 and Diabetes is a double whammy to the patient. Many patients with uncontrolled diabetes develop many complications. These can be categorized into two- Microvascular complications (Diabetic Retinopathy, Diabetic Nephropathy etc.) and Macrovascular complications (heart attacks, damage to major blood vessels). Generally, the Hba1c levels of diabetic patients should be less than 7; higher levels make diabetic patients vulnerable to develop infections or other complications,” says Dr. K. Baraneedharan, Senior Consultant Diabetologist, Kauvery Hospital Chennai.
A person with diabetes has to keep certain parameters in check which include blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and liver and kidney function tests. People with Diabetes are prone to develop complications such as impaired eye sight, decreased functioning of kidneys, damage to nerves, heart disease etc.
“The helpline shall arrange advice and care at all stages of Diabetes. People who are in a very early stage of diabetes or a pre diabetic stage can seek guidance on diet plans, wellness activities etc. Those who suffer from complications such as diabetic retinopathy or diabetic neuropathy shall receive the right advice and guidance from the respective specialty. We also have a dedicated diabetic foot care management team who will help patients to prevent diabetic foot, and thereby avoid ulcers and amputations,” adds Dr. Baranee.
“In these trying times, it is important for all of us to be safe and take care of our overall health. Staying home is equally important, and an initiative like this is definitely a great help for those seeking medical advice and recommendations without having to do a hospital visit. I urge the people to make use of such facilities, and not to ignore any health condition. I congratulate the Kauvery Hospital team for introducing this remarkable initiative which will help people at large,” said Ms. Latha Rajinikanth, Educationist, Musician and Chairperson Shree Daya Foundation.
Speaking about the launch of the Diabetes Helpline Centre, Dr. Manivannan Selvaraj, Founder and Managing Director, Kauvery Group of Hospital says, “Apart from heredity, environmental factors are major contributors to occurrence of Diabetes. Over the last one year we are seeing an increase in the number of patients with newly detected Diabetes, and patients with Diabetes developing complications early owing to sedentary lifestyle from avoiding physical activity, work from home, glycemic diets etc. The quality of health of many of them further deteriorated as they did not seek treatment from healthcare centers fearing the possibility of getting infected. We also saw that the most common co-morbidity which put life at risk for COVID patients has been Diabetes.
As we are fighting the pandemic, we are also focusing on stabilizing such co-morbidities that put patients’ life at risk with COVID. Diabetes is the leader among those burdens. The helpline centre will help people to gain quality information from the right expert. COVID Vaccination is one of our great hopes, and initiative, in controlling the pandemic and the helpline will also guide people with Diabetes on their vaccine related queries and concerns.”
For more details, please visit: Kauvery Hospital.