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        World Diabetes Day, celebrated every year on 14 November, was established by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1991 with the aim of coordinating diabetes advocacy worldwide. Since then, it has become the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes community. Through the activities of IDF member associations and partners, World Diabetes Day campaigns reach millions of people around the world. The diabetes communities of more than 150 countries are united in what is both a targeted campaign to raise awareness of diabetes and its complications and a celebration of the lives of people with diabetes everywhere.

        More than 200 million people worldwide have diabetes. India tops the list of 10 countries, followed by China. In south India, the incidence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance has been increasing steadily since 1984. Many of the poor diabetes patients do not receive the care that they need. The campaign for 2006 focusses on diabetes in the disadvantaged and the vulnerable.

        With the slogan 'Diabetes Care for Everyone', the World Diabetes Day 2006 campaign aims to raise awareness of communities and groups in both developed and developing countries that experience difficulties in accessing optimal healthcare because they are outside the healthcare system, or for some reason are less likely to access or are less aware of the services available to them. Ensuring access to effective and economically-affordable diabetes care to the population is essential for preventing and reducing diabetes-related complications. We need to use the existing health care infrastructure in public, private and voluntary care systems to achieve this vital objective.

DISCOVERY OF INSULIN:insulin was discovered by Dr Frederick Banting (Left) and Charles Best (Right) at the University of Toronto in 1921	VHS Diabetes Department

        Diabetes, with its attendant acute and long term complications, and the myriad of disorders associated with it, is a major health hazard. In keeping with the scenario of most developing countries, India has long passed the stage of a diabetes epidemic. The problem has now reached, in scientific language, 'pandemic' proportions. To put it simply, it has crossed the dividing line in which it is a problem associated with individuals, no matter how large this number may be, and is now a very large public health problem, growing astronomically year after year. Perhaps next only to China, India has the dubious distinction of being home to the largest number of people with diabetes for any one country. The picture is made even more grim by the fact that many of our people with diabetes are still undiagnosed. Almost two out of three people in urban areas and three out of four in rural regions have diabetes but do not know it! There is an endless debate about the validity of our statistical estimates regarding the incidence of diabetes in India. We have to exercise great caution in interpreting the available data. We have practically no database for rural areas where most of our people live. We cannot extrapolate urban data onto rural populations, because prevalence is not likely to be as high. Whilst the high rates of prevalence of complications is disturbing, the picture is rendered all the more gloomy with reports that many patients already show the presence of these complications even at the time of diagnosis.

        VHS Diabetes Department, Adyar is celebrating World Diabetes Day 2006 at VHS Hospital premises on 25 November 2006 (ie)tomorrow. Dr N S Murali, Honorary Secretary, VHS Mediacl Center, is going to preside over the function. Suresh Bapalal Metha will be the Chief Guest. V Chandrasekar, former national table tennis champion will inaugurate the Varsha Suresh Bapalal Metha Hall and Table Tennis Center at the VHS complex.

        The Diabetes Service at the VHS Hospital, Adyar is very popular among the poor and middle class people who find the health-care services at the VHS very affordable and accessible. This service was initiated by Dr Gopal Rabindranath in 1965.

        In 1967, Dr C V Krishnaswami took over the reins as consultant of the Diabetes Clinic. Thanks to his great commitment and foresight, VHS Diabetes Department has grown from strength to strength during the last four decades. He has succeeded magnificently in developing a system of efficient and humane diabetes service by training a team of dedicated young doctors and paramedical personnel. The renown of VHS Diabetes Centre — national and international — known equally for both quality patient care as well as focused academic research activities, is mainly on account of the great personality of Dr C V Krishnaswami as physician, as teacher, as man. Sometime back during the course of my interview with him, Dr C V Krishnaswami told me with earnestness and passion, 'What has given me the greatest joy in a diversified medical professional life has been the development of the VHS Diabetes Department during the last 40 years. A strong foundation has been laid for not only maintaining but developing the trend of activities alike in scientific and in humanitarian directions and I am confident that it is going to have a fair measure of durability in the future'. As a physician and as a man, Dr C V Krishnaswami is very noted for his humility. His is the kind of humility that has nothing whatever to do with the self-protective humbleness which the mind imposes upon itself. His remarkable humility is a graceful state of mind that does not labour to make itself known.

        History of human civilization is not just the succession of kings and emperors, kingdoms and empires, battles and wars, but a heroic and inspiring tale of great discoveries, beginnings and inventions by dedicated men of science through the ages. When VHS is celebrating World Diabetes Day, as a lover of medical history, I cannot help recalling the splendid and landmark achievement of a team of outstanding doctors and scientists who were responsible for the Discovery and Processing of Insulin at the University of Toronto, Canada, in 1921-22 — one of the most revolutionary and glorious moments in the history of medicine. Though it took some time to work out proper dosages and to develop manufacturing processes to make enough insulin of consistent strength and purity, the introduction of insulin seemed literally like a miracle of global significance. It was Dr Frederick Banting (1891 - 1941), who first discovered that insulin was a treatment for diabetes. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It was isolated in 1921-22 at the University of Toronto through a collaborative process in which four scientists were involved — Dr. Fredrick Banting, Professor John James Rickard Macleod (1876-1935), Charles Best (1899 - 1978), a medical student at the time of the discovery and James B. Collip (1892 - 1965). In 1923, the Nobel Prize was awarded to Dr Fredrick Banting and Professor J J R Macleod and each shared their portion of the prize money with the other researchers on the project. On 3 June, 1934, Dr Frederick Banting the co-inventor of insulin was knighted for his medical discovery.

        In India / Chennai VHS Diabetes Department stands out for the Comprehensive Freemedicare of young people with insulin dependent diabetes. This has been possible because of massive support from the members of Voluntary Health Services, Philanthropists, Industrialists, Voluntary organizations and various public spirited individuals. Comprehensive Free-Medicare is provided by a collaborative team of energetic and dedicated doctors, efficiently backed up by requisite support personnel like Lab Technologists, Diet Counsellors. Diabetes Educators, Social Workers and Nurses etc. Against this local Chennai city background, it is indeed heartening to note that the World Diabetes Day 2007 campaign will focus on the impact of diabetes on the lives of children and adolescents worldwide. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. The year-long campaign will aim to raise awareness of the rising prevalence of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in this age-group and emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and education to reduce complications and save lives.