Diabetes Awareness and You (DAY) organized a press meet in the presence of Samrat Moullik, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ananya Chakraborti, Honourable Chairperson, WBCPCR, Chandrima Bhattacharya (Honourable Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal) and others to spread awareness about diabetes on World Diabetes Day.

The occasion saw the felicitation of Samrat Moullik who completed the feat of covering 3000 km on a bicycle on an Indo-Bangladesh expedition.

After the completion of this feat, Samrat Moullik reached Kolkata and met Hon’ble Speaker Biman Banerjee along with Giasuddin Mollah, Hon’ble Minister at West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

The event also witnessed the launch of the first ever Diabetes mascot named Mr Day, the ambassador of Diabetes awareness.

DAY is an NGO formed in 2006 to spread awareness about diabetes. They work under 5 main verticals- preventive, curative, capacity building, research and policy advocacy, DAY has held awareness camps in different parts of Bengal. They have launched a trilingual slogan in 2009 to advocate for blood sugar tests among all pregnant women at the earliest opportunity and every citizen of the country who has touched 30 and then onward. The slogan was adopted officially by the Govt of India under NPCDCS project now merged with NHM in 2013.

Dr Debasis Basu, President, Diabetes Awareness & You (DAY) highlighted on the fact that diabetes can be prevented if certain lifestyle and dietary changes are made by the individuals. However lack of awareness has led to the growth of misconceptions around the disease. That must be curbed and knowledge about the disease must be spread so that people can be saved from the clutches of this disease.

Priyanka Dutta