The success of the stem-cell research could mean the end of daily insulin injections for millions of Type 1 diabetes patients
Insulin injection [Representational image]Reuters

A significant spike has been observed in the number of diabetics patients in India. According to statistics from the International Diabetes Federation, the number has risen from was 50.8 million in 2010, to 65.1 million now.

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Spreading awareness about diabetes and its treatment in the medical fraternity, especially among medical students who are likely to work with diabetic patients in the future, is necessary.

So how do you do this?

It is with this aim in mind that the 'Diabetes Versus We' contest was organised by the Gadge Diabetes Centre in Mumbai, India. This contest began on January 2, 2017 and ran till January 10, 2017.

The Diabetes Versus We contest used creative videos to increass awareness about diabetes, symptoms of diabetes, and the treatment of diabetes.

Participants (individuals and teams) presented a 3-minute video in Hindi, in which they explained diabetes and other factors related to it in interesting and innovative ways. The videos were then uploaded on to YouTibe. 

The participants comprised students belonging to a myriad of fields such as Physiotherapy, Dentistry, Ayurveda and Homoeopathy.

The winner of the competition will receive a cheque of Rs 1 lakh and the runner-up, Rs 50,000. The results for the competition will be announced on January 26, 2017.   

"The competition will check how participants make use of simple and subtle messages to explain diabetes. As not all patients understand the concepts properly, such videos will be helpful in these technology-friendly times. This will also attract youngsters' attention and the various precautionary methods shared can be adopted by them as well, for a diabetes-free future," says Dr Gadge, whose video on Diet for Diabetics went viral within a few days of uploading it.

"This competition will help broaden the perspective of medical students as they are future doctors who should have clear concepts on lifestyle diseases like diabetes. This will also motivate other medical students to educate themselves about diabetes," added Gadge.

Check out Dr Gadge's video on diet for diabetics

YouTube/ Raman Dabhade