Mangalore, 7 Sep 2014: The well known surgeon and pr-chancellor of Nitte University M Shantaram Shetty called upon doctors to make people aware of diabetes. He also expressed the need for more Indians to take up research in diabetes.
Inaugurating the two-day decennial conclave of the Karnataka Chapter of Research Society for Study of Diabetes in India at decennial hall of Father Muller Medical College here on Saturday September 6 Dr Shetty said, ‘Doctors should focus primarily on educating people about dangers of diabetes which results from the lifestyle. This education is necessary at the time when people still believe in crude ways of treatment namely for asthma where some practitioners make patients gulp a particular type of fish,’ said Dr Shetty.
Dr Shetty further said people should be made aware of ways with which diabetes can be prevented. ‘See the way minister B Ramanath Rai (who was also present in the function) has gone for regular exercises that brought his sugar level under control and led him to stop taking diabetic medication,’ said Dr Shetty.
Dr Shetty also said, ‘More number of Indians should take up research in diabetes. Diabetes is increasing in the country. He said only 0.9 per cent Indians figure in the 52,000 research papers on cardiovascular issues and 30,000 papers on diabetes published in 2013. Institutes and students have to wake up and take up research work, at least in diabetes. Make use of the records (pertaining to diabetes) that are presently wasted,’ said Dr Shetty.
The state minister forests and ecology B Ramanath Rai said that he brought changes in his lifestyle to bring diabetes under control. Initially, he was doubtful as doctors had made him believe that he had inherited diabetes from his parents. He said that he does 2-hours of exercises every day. He has also stopped eating non-vegetarian food for more than a decade. ‘I had started with taking 3 tablets a day. Now I do not take tablets. My sugar level is under control,’ he beamed.
RSSDI Karnataka Chapter chairman K R Narasimha Shetty and Father Muller Charitable Institutions director Fr Patrick Rodrigues also spoke on the occasion.
Dr Venkatesh B M, organizing chairman KRSSDI Mangalore-2014, Dr J P Alva, Fr Rudolph Ravi D’Sa and others were present on the occasion.