Should Countries Employ Mandatory Diabetes Screening?

With the number of people with diabetes spinning out of control, India is taking an interesting step to combat the disease and its complications: mandatory screenings. The goal is early detection of diabetes, according to a recent news article from Calcutta News.

Whether you agree with the initiative or not, it is important to people all over the world (not just those that live in India) because it shows the length one government is willing to go to combat the disease. The number of people with diabetes is growing rapidly all over the world with the latest figures estimating there are 285 million people all around the world suffering from the disease.

The bulk of people with diabetes have Type 2 and are “insulin resistant,” which means their body does not properly use the insulin it produces. It is recommended that people with Type 2 diabetes make diet changes and lifestyle changes, including regular exercise. Most are treated with pills although some require insulin shots.

The screenings are important because many people that have the disease are unaware of their condition until after they suffer from some of its complications. This not only has serious implications for the individual suffering from the disease, but also for nations’ healthcare systems.

The screenings are likely to consist of blood tests and be based on a pilot program that was run throughout 10 states in the country.