Sundaram Medical Foundation (SMF) Chennai has launched a new cost-effective diabetes care package to assess the health status of an individual with diabetes and advice the strategy for future management of the disease.

The package, priced at Rs.1500, involves carefully structured cost-effective compilation of appropriate tests, medical consultation and evaluation involving primary physicians, specialists like cardiologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, nephrologist and ICU specialists, working with the SMF Dr. Rangarajan Memorial Hospital, according to S.Ravindran, chief executive and trustee of SMF.

The package involves examinations like ECG, comprehensive foot evaluation including Pedobarographic studies and Doppler pressures, complete examination by physician, post prandial laboratory samples, ophthalmologist check up, dietitian's evaluation and advice, review with physician in-charge and recommendations and follow up advice. Tests involved in the package includes urine analysis, fasting and post-prandial plasma glucose, lipid profile, serum creatinine, HbA1C - glycosylated hemoglobin estimation, ECG, urine protein excretion etc., according to Dr.V.B.Narayana Murthy and Dr.R.Parivalan, consultants with SMF hospital.

As part of World Diabetes Day, the hospital conducted a CME programme on foot management and a preventive podiatry videoconference. Experts like Dr.Arun Bal, president, Diabetic Foot Society of India, Dr.V.Mohan, M.V.Diabetes Specialities Centre, Dr.S.Krishnaprakash, attended the CME programme on 'Diabetic foot-risk reduction and foot preservation'. professor of clinical microbiology at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, Dr.M.Chenniappan, consultant cardiologist at Trichy and Dr. V.B.Narayana Murthy, consultant plastic surgeon at SMF.

The videoconference on preventive podiatry consisted of presentations from the faculty of the University of Staffordshire on podiatry services, therapeutic footwear and maintenance of tissue viability in diabetic foot wounds. According to Dr.R.Parivalan, coordinator for the conference, preventive podiatry is an integral part of management of the diabetic foot. Unfortunately, this subspecialty has been ignored in India, and the aim of the conference was to introduce this new and important aspect of care that assumes special significance in view of the high prevalence of diabetic foot problems in the country.