India ready to lead technology driven diabetes care: Dr Jitendra Singh

New Delhi: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh has said that India is ready to lead technology driven Diabetes care.

Addressing the 3-day World Congress of “Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics 2023” (DTechCon 2023) here, as chief guest, Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also a renowned Diabetologist said that India is being looked up to by the rest of the world in the field of healthcare after the successful handling of the pandemic. Technologically and in human resources, we are much ahead of most other countries, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that India is fast becoming more and more tech savvy, particularly after Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister because he is personally promoting science & technology innovations. The PM has a natural temper for science and having worked closely with him for the past nine years, the Minister said, he can very well say that Modi gives his team a free hand in developing ideas and getting them implemented.

This is evident from the fact that there were just around 350 startups before 2014, but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the clarion call from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his Independence Day address and rolled out special startup scheme in 2016, there has been a quantum jump in startups to more than 90,000 with more than 100 Unicorns, said the Minister. India is also rated No: 3 in the startup ecosystem of the world, he added.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, similarly, Prime Minister Modi opened up the Space sector for private participation leading to more than 100 startups in the space sector within just about three years. Similarly, Biotech startups went up from around 50 in 2014 to nearly 6,000 today, he said.

Recently the Union Cabinet approved the launch of the National Quantum Mission which will also boost medical diagnosis and treatment in the country. The Minister said that India is one of the very few countries in the world to have launched a National Quantum Mission.

The Minister said that in the field of Telemedicine, we have some of the best StartUps in the world. These StartUp groups have developed AI doctors. Citing an example of its application, the Minister said that his team selected about 60 remote villages in his constituency and engaged a telemedicine van called ‘Doctor on Wheels’. The team ran it for 3 months in all 60 villages and the best of consultations were provided in a very short time, he said.

The Minister said that India is not only becoming a technology leader but also a huge medical tourism hub.

The Minister said as India is in the frontline of diabetes research in the world, the prevention of diabetes is not only our duty towards healthcare but also our duty towards nation building because this is a country with 70% population below the age of 40 and the youth of today are going to be the prime citizens of India@2047. We cannot afford to let their energy get squandered in incapacitating complications occurring as a result of Diabetes Mellitus and other related disorders or its complications, he cautioned.

The Minister congratulated Dr Banshi Saboo and his team for the conceptualization of this conference.

Dr. Tadej Battelino, Chair ATTD, the Guest of Honour at the event, agreed that the technological strides India is making in the field of healthcare is much quicker compared to other countries.

Dr. Sharad Kumar Agarwal, National President, Indian Medical Association, Dr. Sudhir Bhandari, Vice Chancellor, Rajasthan Health University, Dr. Banshi Saboo, Founder, DTech (India), Dr. Jothydev Kesavadev, President DTech, Dr. Manoj Chawla, Scientific Chairman DTechCon, Dr. Amit Gupta, Org. Secretary DTechCon, healthcare professionals, industry leaders and many StartUps working in the field of health technology participated in the inaugural session of the conference.

The DTechCon 2023 (World Congress of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics) is a global conference dedicated to the latest developments in the field of technology and therapeutics. Additionally, workshops and hands-on training are planned for deeper understanding of insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring, Point of Care and futuristic therapy.