SHILLONG: Along with the rest of the world, the World Diabetes Day was also observed in the city by Bansara Eye Care Centre along with World Diabetes Foundation and the Seng Kynthei Wahingdoh recently.
The occasion was marked by a walk which is part of the Global Diabetes Walk, which started from Dr H Gordon Robert Hospital and culminated at Wahingdoh Community Hall. This was followed by an awareness function about diabetes and its complication to the eye.
The function witnessed the attendance of various nursing schools and institute like the Woodland Nursing School, Ganesh Das Nursing School, Dr H Gordon Robert Nursing School, Rapsbun Nursing School, the allied health department of Martin Luther Christian University, the NSS unit of NEHU, Shillong College besides others.
The World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation in response to the growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. It became an official United Nations Day in 2007.
In line with this, Bansara Eye Care Centre has started the Diabetic Retinopathy Project in Meghalaya which aims at creating awareness about diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, and providing treatment to the patients detected with diabetes to avoid blindness.
This project hoped to reduce or eliminate blindness caused due to diabetic retinopathy through medical treatment and surgical treatment by latest equipments available at the centre. The project so far, has created awareness to around 16700 people through the media, seminars and awareness programmes which were conducted around 53 camps where 4438 patients were screened for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy and treatment have been provided to around 338 patients.
