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Chennai is becoming a hub for training physicians and paramedics from India as well as a host of Afro-Asian countries in diabetes care.

World Health Organisation’s collaborating centre for diabetes research and training in Chennai — the MV Hospital for Diabetes and Diabetes Research Centre — has imparted lessons in fundamental diabetology to batches of doctors from Cameroon, Tanzania, Myanmar, North Korea, Bangladesh and Burma. The first physician from Pakistan is now undergoing training at the hospital.

And, as part of fulfilling a 2004 mandate of WHO and World Diabetes Foundation, the hospital is involved in training groups of general practitioners from seven Indian States, including Tamil Nadu.

To date, it has trained 2,510 government and private sector doctors against the target of training 3,000 doctors by March 2007.

“The priority is in providing diabetes training to government doctors and rural practitioners,” A. Ramachandran, Director, MV Hospital told a press conference on Friday.

35 million patients

The training programme is a small step towards diffusing diabetes care in a country that tops in diabetes prevalence with a burden of 35 million patients.

On a broader plane, consultation is on with the Union Government for extending diabetes training to all States as well as conceptualising a National Diabetes Control Programme, Dr. Ramachandran said.

Tariq Parvez from Sialkot, Pakistan, finds the training programme innovative and relevant to the diabetes situation in his country, which is fifth ranked in global prevalence. According to N. Murugesan, project director, World Diabetes Foundation, the training would focus more on paramedics.

Source: TheHindu

Here is just another example of why India can be considered as a safe and positive destination for Medical Tourism. It is just not about the cost advantage but definitely the quality of hospital, doctors and the service levels have very much improved. 

Jim Macleod of Canada had not been sure whether he would be cured of a crippling problem in his hips.

After a painful wait for 18 months back home to consult a surgeon, he was waitlisted for another 12 months to undergo a surgery. But perseverance paid.

Mr. Macleod surfed the internet to look for options outside his country; those that would be easy on his purse and end his agony soon.

His search for surgeons for hip resurfacing ended when he read about people from the U.S. undergoing the procedure at Coimbatore.

The Canadian came to know of Sri Ramakrishna Hospital’s consultant orthopaedic surgeon G. Balasubramaniam having enabled a patient like him to resume skiing back home at Wyoming in the U.S.

Dr. Balasubramaniam said the Canadian spoke to him a couple of months ago and he and his wife landed in Coimbatore for bilateral (both hips) hip resurfacing with a space of six days between the two surgeries.

In 12 days after the operations, the patient was able to walk without any pain.

Cost of surgery

Judith Lawson of New Mexico in the U.S. said in an e-mail to Dr. Balasubramaniam recently that she was going hiking at a place that was 7,500 ft above mean sea level.

Swimming and sailing were also to be resumed soon. She too learnt about the growing medical tourism in Coimbatore and reached the hospital for resurfacing.

The surgery here cost her around Rs. 2.25 lakh while it was much higher in the U.S., apart from the agonising wait for one’s turn for surgery. Harry Bennewitt (59) from Florida in the U.S. was asked to cough up $ 35,000 (more than Rs.15 lakh) for resurfacing of the right hip. The real estate agent had been suffering from osteoarthritis that prevented him from doing any exercise. As a result, his weight touched 120 kg and he was confined to home by the pain in the hip. Mr. Bennewitt underwent resurfacing here in May-end.

Source: TheHindu