Press Release

Medical fraternitystresses the need to build capacity in the area of Diabetes management at the joint Convocation ceremony of the ‘Certificate Courses in ‘Evidence Based Diabetes Management’ (CCEBDM) and ‘Gestational Diabetes Miletus’ (CCGDM)

Jointly organised by Diabetes Awareness & You, Kolkata and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi, a total number of 35 successful candidates join an informed cadre of public health practioners with latest wherewithal in the field of diabetes management.

Kolkata 22nd February 2014: Diabetes Awareness & You (DAY), Kolkata in consonance with Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) organized a joint Convocation programme of PHFI’s ‘Certificate Course in Evidence Based Diabetes Management (CCEBDM)’ and Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Miletus inKolkata today. Present on the occasion was Sri Atin Ghosh, MMIC, Health (KMC), as Guest of Honouralong with Chief GuestDr. Nirmal Maji, Hon’ble Parliamentary Secretary, Power & AYUSH, Govt. of WB; President, WBMC & President, IMA, WB State Branch, Sri Sushanta Kumar Ghosh, MMIC, Roads (KMC), Dr. Kushagradhi Ghosh National Expert, CCGDM, Prof Subhankar Chowdhury, National Expert, CCEBDM & CCGDM,Dr Sandeep Bhalla, Program Director – CCEBDM & CCGDM, PHFI and Dr Debasis Basu, Regional Faculty, CCEBDM & CCGDM& also President, DAY. Convocation certificates were given to a total number of 35 successful candidates, who now join an informed cadre of public health practitioners with latest wherewithal in the field of diabetes management.

While handing over Convocation certificates to the successful doctorsHon’ble Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health & Engineering) Mr. Atin Ghosh said, “At Kolkata Municipal Corporation, we are concerned with prevention and control of communicable diseases lest they should not cause epidemic. Diabetes, though not communicable, is going to cause an epidemic in the years to come and we at KMC already have taken measures to provide free blood sugar testing through our facilities, apart from giving primary care to diabetics free of cost through our dispensary services. Further keeping in view the larger picture to prevent diabetes, KMC recently partnered with PHFI to enhance the skills of their selected doctors towards management of Type 2 Diabetes. Both the CCEBDM and CCEGDM courses developed by PHFI are a pioneering concept that will surely enhance capacity of general Physicians, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists with latest knowledge in Diabetes treatment, thus furthering the cause of treating diabetes to a large number of individuals, families and communities in the region.”

Congratulating the successful doctors on attaining their certificates, Dr. Nirmal Maji, Hon’ble Parliamentary Secretary, Power & AYUSH, Govt. of WB; President, WBMC & President, IMA, WB State Branchin his address stressed on the need to develop more innovative training and capacity building programmes like CCEBDM to address public health challenges in the region, especially diabetes which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India. “The prevalence of Diabetes is increasing at an extremely rapid pace in India and West Bengal being no exception. There is an urgent need to build capacity in the area of Diabetes management as Type 2 Diabetes has become a serious health threat with exploding population and changing lifestyle, further leading to the prevalence of gestational diabetes in young mothers, impacting the new-born. IMA (WB) will be more than happy to adopt this course for its doctors to equip them with the latest advances in Diabetes Management.”Dr. Nirmal Majialso lauded the role of PHFI and DAY that has propelled and influenced public health in India and hoped that the doctors who graduated take the responsibility and duty to secure a healthy future for generations ahead.

Dr Sandeep Bhalla, Program Director – CCEBDM & CCGDM, PHFIsaid, “At PHFI it is our endeavor to help strengthen education, training, and research in the area of Public Health. Today the medical fraternity requires to gear up to the challenge of effectively preventing, diagnosing and treating the expanding number of diabetics in India as there are relatively less number of trained physicians and this vacuum needs to be filled. The CCEBDM and CCGDM courses impart physicians with latest developments in the field of diabetes management and over the past couple of years cumulatively both courses have successfully trained over 6500 physicians’ pan-India.”

In his address Dr Debasis Basu, President, DAY and Regional Faculty PHFIsaid, “Our primary emphasis in DAY is to raise mass awareness and call for change in lifestyle from early school days and eventually exert positive peer pressure in the midst of an epidemic that drastically threatens our families, communities, across cultures and religions, and even the very future of our dear living planet. We are optimistic that awareness will surely lead to prevention, and it is only prevention which will lead to breaking the cycle of fear, pain and suffering, and ending the epidemic. Today, indeed, we feel proud to co-host this unique initiative for building capacity of physicians in Kolkata. Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus have become a serious health threat with exploding population and a global public health threat status. We need to have a trained set of doctors who are equipped with the latest advances in Diabetes Management, and also follow the latest international and national guidelines, which these courses provide, thus fulfilling this gap for generations to come. Our mission is to ’Foster a Diabetes Aware Society and add Healthy Years to Life’. Of special note are the CCGDM modules which are diligently designed to redress with strict vigilance, the problem of nearly 20% of the would be mothers and their offsprings likely to be afflicted with the silent killer in the coming years – a genuinely novel step to preventive care from a societal point of view. By empowering all fellow colleagues in the corporation and municipalities we must take responsibility for our own future, and chart a healthier, more respectful and finally richer course of living for our state and all our people. In a short while, we propose to translatebenchside research and fundamental evidence to caring clinical practice.”

Sri Sushanta Kumar Ghosh, Hon’ble MMIC, Roads (KMC), Prof Subhankar Chowdhury, National Expert, CCEBDM & CCGDM and Dr. Kushagradhi GhoshNational Expert, CCGDMtoo laid emphasis on the fact that India’s diabetes burden is second to China, and to address this challenge, both the CCEBDM and the CCGDM courses are path breaking initiatives that have been received exceptionally well and has gathered tremendous accolades not only from the participants and the academic fraternity but also by the International Diabetes Federation, proving to be torch bearers in the field of Diabetes Management. He added that the efforts by Diabetes Awareness & You (DAY), Kolkata are commendable which is working to take Diabetes management and public health to new heights in the West Bengal Region and beyond.

The Certificate Course in Evidence Based Diabetes Management (CCEBDM), presently in its 3rd Cycle is being conducted in 19 States and One Union Territory in India with 134 centres in 73 cities. This course has recently become the first globally recognized model to train Primary care physicians in evidence based diabetes management and has been given recognition by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), making it the first of its kind in South and South East Asia. Similarly the Certificate Course in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (CCGDM) was recently launched on 25th August 2013 Pan-India and is conducted in 55 Regional Centres, across India covering 16 states, 1 union territory and 39 cities. These two uniquely designed pan-India executive training courses for primary healthcare physicians, Obstetricians and Gynaecologists apprise doctors with the latest developments in the field of diabetes and gestational diabetes management equipping them to deal with diabetes more efficiently in their day to day undertakings.

About: Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is committed to working towards a healthier India. PHFI is helping to build public health institutional capacity in India, through interdisciplinary and health system connected education and training, policy and programme relevant research, evidence based & equity promoting policy development, people empowering health communication & advocacy for prioritised health causes. Established in 2006 as a public private initiative, PHFI is an independent foundation headquartered in New Delhi and its constituent Indian Institutes of Public Health (IIPH) set up by PHFI have a presence in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Delhi NCR, Gandhinagar (Gujarat) and Bhubaneswar (Odisha). The Foundation is managed by an empowered governing board comprising senior government officials, eminent Indian and international academic and scientific leaders, civil society representatives and corporate leaders. For more information please visit For more details on the ‘Certificate Course in Evidence Based Diabetes Management (CCEBDM)’ please visit

About DAY

Diabetes Awareness & You (DAY) is a non-government, not for profit with tax exempt status organization working for last seven years towards rendering diabetes management – treatment of complications and prevention related issues in particular and the upliftment of an overall health awareness among society in general. DAY strives to achieve this goal through providing human knowledge and skills and hence regularly conduct awareness programmes and health checkup camps across West Bengal. DAY is geared to build-up the first centre of its kind in the country “Sachetanata Bhavan”, which will encourage the general population to make healthy lifestyle choices and spread the good words of wisdom as well.DAY has expanded delivery of integrated health care services in rural areas and also started a special pilot outreach venture to make a tribal backward village “Diabetes Aware” for the first time in the world. Our flagship project “School Awareness An important flagship activity‘School Awareness & Diabetes’ which is inspired by the‘Protect our Future’campaign conceptualized by theInternational Diabetes Federation (IDF) has been much appreciated by the Hon’ble President of India in 2012. It has been just over three years that more than 100 beneficiaries are sponsored with medicines and insulin and DAY yearns to scale up honoring more and more prescriptions to those who cannot afford.

Media Contact:

  • Mr Indrajit Majumder,Secretary DAY, Mobile No: +919433320800
  • Mr Rajiv Chhibber, Head Communications PHFI, New Delhi: Mob: +919810426698