Novo Nordisk Education Foundation Establishes Centre of Excellence with IGICH Bangalore

Cementing its commitment towards managing Type 1 diabetes (T1D) among children in India, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation (NNEF)– a non-government organisation established by Novo Nordisk India– added one more Centre of Excellence in Karnataka with Indira Gandhi institute of Child Health. NNEF has been supporting sustainable care for people living with T1D through Centres of Excellence in close partnership with state governments and prestigious medical colleges. In this context, NNEF has now developed 7 CoEs with various state governments.

As a public-private partnership, this CoE will cater to the immediate need of building capacity and capability to fulfil the unmet needs of people living with T1D in the country. It will provide holistic care through a host of services, including a dedicated dietician for consultation, doctors for regular health check-ups, diabetes monitoring, laboratory tests, and efforts to strengthen the overall T1D care ecosystem.

Camilla Sylvest - Executive Vice President, Commercial Strategy & Corporate Affairs, Novo Nordisk visited the Centre of Excellence and said, “Novo Nordisk is proud to support children living with Type 1 diabetes across the world. Through our Changing Diabetes^® in Children program, we support clinics across 26 countries, including India. Non-communicable diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes, have proven to be a large burden for the people living with the disease, their families, and the overall healthcare system. We hope that this Centre of Excellence will not just provide integrated care to children who need it the most, but also lead to a sustainable model of integrated care for children living with Type 1 diabetes in Karnataka. We look forward to leverage Novo Nordisk’s patient-centric approach to support building capacity and capability for India’s healthcare ecosystem.”

Lauding the development, Vikrant Shrotriya - Managing Trustee, Novo Nordisk Education Foundation said, “We are delighted to host our global leadership as we inaugurate yet another Centre of Excellence in India. According to a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research, India has around 101 million people living with diabetes and another 136 million people in pre-diabetes stages.<1> There are over 8.6 lakh people living with T1D in India, of which 2.8 lakh individuals are below the age of 20 years.<2> It is therefore critical to increase awareness at the grass-root level in India, to help with early diagnosis. We are actively fostering collaborations with government institutions, health authorities, and policymakers for better management of diabetes in the country. This collaboration aligns with our vision to improve accessibility through capacity and capability building. We remain committed to fostering healthcare excellence and strengthening the diabetes care system in India.”

Prof Dr Sanjay K S – Director, Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health expressed his gratitude to NNEF and said, “We would like the people of Karnataka to know about this special clinic curated to provide quality care for people living with Type 1 diabetes, and benefit from the integrated care available at the institute. It is a proud moment for us as we work to support this initiative.”

Visiting the Centre of Excellence, the dignitaries toured the health facility, interacted with children accessing care, healthcare practitioners, and shared their perspective on the Indian diabetes care ecosystem. They emphasized on how NNEF’s efforts are geared towards reshaping diabetes care, promoting healthier lives, and empowering communities to continue the work towards defeating this chronic disease.

The Centres of Excellence (CoEs) are part of NNEF’s focused strategic approach towards sustainability. These public-private partnerships, between Novo Nordisk Education Foundation and leading public healthcare institutions across the nation, are dedicated to providing integrated care to children living with T1D.