Aug 24, 2016 12:16 IST
New Delhi, Delhi, India: To raise awareness and to enhance the capacity of Primary Care Physicians, Obstetricians and Gynecologists in the area of Diabetes Management, especially during pregnancy, the Cycle – IV of the Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Miletus (CCGDM) was launched pan-India. The course has enrolled around 413 participants in its current cycle across 20 regional centres with 40 regional faculty covering 16 states and one union territory in India.
The ‘Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (CCGDM), is a four month executive on the job pan-India program conducted by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), that aims to develop core skills and need based competencies in Primary care Physicians, Obstetricians and Gynecologists for the practice of Gestational Diabetes Management. The course will help regional doctors to establish their networks with existing specialized diabetes care centers, eminent obstetricians and gynecologists for improving patient outcomes to combat Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.
In his address Prof. D. Prabhakaran, Vice President – Research and Policy, PHFI said, “At PHFI it is our endeavor to help strengthen education, training, and research in the area of Public Health. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a severe and neglected threat to maternal and child health, a situation that is likely to worsen, particularly in low and middle income countries like India as diabetes prevalence increases. The medical fraternity requires gearing upto this challenge for effectively preventing, diagnosing and treating gestational diabetes. The launch of the 4th Cycle of CCGDM is a step further to tackle the rising prevalence of women health issues in India, aiming to strengthen the capacity of doctors to deal with the widespread challenges of GDM, ultimately improving the health outcomes of women and their new-borns.”
Gestational Diabetes (or gestational diabetes mellitus, GDM) is a condition in which women without previously diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood glucose levels during pregnancy (especially during their third trimester).International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 21.4 million or 16.8% of live births to women in 2015 had some form of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. An estimated 16% of those cases were due to diabetes in pregnancy and would require careful monitoring during the pregnancy and follow-up post-partum. In India alone an estimated 4 million women have Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Babies born to mothers with untreated gestational diabetes are typically at increased risk of problems such as being large for gestational age (which may lead to delivery complications), low blood sugar, and jaundice. If untreated, it can also cause seizures or stillbirth.
Emphasizing that there is a shortage of trained physicians to tackle the burden of diabetes management in In India, Dr. Sandeep Bhalla, Programme Director CCGDM Course PHFI said,“The prevalence percentage of gestational diabetes is increasing rapidly in India. There is an urgent need to build capacity in the area of gestational diabetes management, as the disease has a major impact on total maternal as well as fetal morbidity. The need of the day is to have a trained set of doctors who are equipped with the latest advancements for the better management of this condition. The Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (CCGDM) developed by PHFI in collaboration with DMDEA, is an attempt to tackle the rising prevalence of GDM in India. This course which is now globally recognized by IDF (International Diabetes Federation) and accredited by SAFES (South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies) has already trained over 2800 medical practioners and we look forward to the same enthusiasm during the fourth cycle too”.
The Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (CCGDM) is a joint certification program designed and delivered by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Education Academy (DMDEA), Chennai. The program is supported by an educational grant provided by Johnson and Johnson Medical India as well as Johnson and Johnson Diabetes Institute (JJDI). The Johnson & Johnson Diabetes Institute, LLC is a unique global professional education initiative designed to improve care for people with diabetes.
In its journey of four years since 2012 and after completing 3 cycles, CCGDM has built a strong network of 110 faculty, 15 national experts, 25 observers and trained more than 2757 primary care physicians and obstetrics & gynaecologists in the field of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus screening, diagnosis and management. This initiative has been recognised by IDF (2015-17) and South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies (SAFES) (2014-19). This course is also adopted by various state governments like Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh for training their medical officers under National Health Mission. The course is offered on a modular basis with judicious mix of case-studies, group discussion and direct teaching with great flexibility to accommodate participant’s requirements. Complete and comprehensive learning package including print and CD modules are provided by the organizing institutions. Participant assessment is through an ongoing internal evaluation during course work and performance.
PHFI launches Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
