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Pioneers in battling diabetes highlight simple ways to keep silent killer at bay
View(s):- On its 30th anniversary, the National Diabetes Centre pledges to continue the good work
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
It was a commemoration and a commitment – the National Diabetes Centre (NDC) has been providing a ‘silent’ service to the public for 30 long years, while assuring the continuance of its work in combating the ‘silent’ killer that is Diabetes Mellitus.
The simple but important event was held this Tuesday (November 4) in view of World Diabetes Day on November 14, next Friday, on the theme ‘Diabetes and well-being’. The event was held at the Diabetes Association of Sri Lanka (DASL) in Rajagiriya, with NDC Founder and Director Dr. Mahen Wijesuriya and NDC Administrative Director Dhanya Wijesuriya gracing the occasion.
The DASL was founded in 1984 and registered in Parliament in 1992 as a non-governmental organization with the vision of reducing diabetes prevalence in the country. The NDC, launched in October 1995, is the clinical arm of the DASL and serves people living with diabetes, those at risk and the public.
The panel discussion (from the right): Moderator Michelle S.N. Sahabandu; Dr. Manilka Sumanatilleke; Dr. Sarath Gamini De Silva; and Dr. Alan Ludowyke. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Thousands have benefited through full check-ups performed free as well as at an affordable cost at the NDC, while thousands more have been provided the service of free Random Blood Sugar (RBS) tests during ‘Diabetes Education, Awareness and Screening’ sessions for the public, the Sunday Times learns.
Under the ‘Suwamaga Programme’, DASL in collaboration with Union Assurance had screened more than 22,000 people for diabetes, going around in a converted double-decker bus in 2024, while under the DASL’s ‘Feed A Child With Diabetes’ programme, monthly vouchers to the value of Rs. 5,000 each are being provided for nutritious food to 60 families.
Giving a historical fact, Consultant Endocrinologist and DASL President, Dr. Manilka Sumanatilleke said that decades ago, only around 2% of Sri Lankans under-40 years of age were identified with diabetes, whereas now it is 20%.
He paid tribute to the DASL and NDC for having the foresight to be flag-bearers in dealing systematically with this deadly disease which affects all organs of the human body.
Operating with a dedicated team of volunteers, the DASL structure includes a Board of Trustees, an Executive Committee and a Board of Management, supported by executive staff. The DASL is a member of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, while also being an active council member of the IDF’s South East Asia Region.
NDC Founder & Director Dr. Mahen Wijesuriya and NDC Administrative Director Dhanya Wijesuriya (second from left and far right respectively) along with Dr. Alan Ludowyke and Ms Michelle S.N. Sahabandu during the event
The NDC, meanwhile, functions through a multidisciplinary team comprising medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, nutritionists and dieticians.
Explaining how Sri Lanka was taken to the international level, Dr. Sumanatilleke says that Dr. Wijesuriya has been part of the IDF for a very long time. Last year, IDF President Prof. Peter Schwarz had paid a visit to Sri Lanka and toured the NDC.
Currently, Dr. Sumanatilleke is President-elect of IDF – South East Asia Region.
Before spotlighting the good work done by the NDC, Dr. Sumanatilleke talks of how DASL did “a lot” for those living with diabetes when the tsunami struck the country and also when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Some highlights were:
The Insulin Bank and Young Leaders in Diabetes (YLDs) – established in 1998, it provides free insulin, accessories, glucose meters, strips and screening to young people living with Type 1 diabetes. Currently, it has more than 750 registrants, with over 100 regular attendees.
In 2020, the ‘Our Views, Our Voices’ programme had mobilized young leaders with Type 1 diabetes to share personal stories and build peer support networks. A major contribution by the group had been during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they became known as the ‘Unsung Heroes of COVID-19’.
Under this initiative, DASL staff and YLDs had packed individualized insulin supplies for registrants and obtained special permission from the police and the health authorities to deliver life-saving insulin across the island during curfew — ensuring uninterrupted care at a critical time.
Among the other achievements are DASL launching ‘SchoolNet’, a trilingual computer-based educational application to raise awareness on diabetes among schoolchildren; and hosting an international conference chaired by IDF President Sir George Alberti to get global consensus on the causes of Type 2 diabetes and the development of a primary prevention strategy.
Internationally, in 2006, DASL had co-sponsored the UN Resolution on Diabetes and contributed to the Kathmandu Declaration on diabetes prevention and care. In 2009, it had hosted the ‘Diabetes Café’ at the IDF World Congress in Montreal, Canada, introducing a novel interactive format. That year, DASL had also contributed to the Kathmandu Declaration, supporting a life-cycle approach to diabetes prevention and care under the IDF-UN Civil Society Action Plan.
Locally, in 2014, DASL had received ethical approval to establish the National Type 1 Diabetes Registry, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.
Many have been the awareness and advocacy initiatives of the DASL including the ‘Sugar Trail’ and ‘Aney Sweet’ video messages on sugar and diabetes, for the public; ‘Seeni Meanie’ for 80 schools; and cautionary messages on sugar and diabetes complications on sugar sachets in some hotels.
The finale of the November 4th event was looking at diabetes through wide and varied lenses through a panel discussion moderated by DASL’s Nutritionist/Dietician and Lifestyle Interventionist, Michelle S.N. Sahabandu. The panellists were Dr. Manilka Sumanatilleke; a Vice President of DASL, Dr. Sarath Gamini De Silva; and former Director of Healthcare Quality & Patient Safety, Health Ministry, Dr. Alan Ludowyke.
Simple lifestyle interventions including a healthy diet and exercise to prevent or control diabetes and holistic care, were reiterated by the panel, with serious concerns also being expressed about so-called, unfounded “cures” for diabetes that were being touted around.
Get your blood sugar tested and if high follow the advice and medications prescribed by a qualified doctor, was another key message.
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