In November, National Diabetes Awareness Month in India, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., a
global pharma major organised a two-week long educational and awareness campaign in rural India. Dr.
Reddy’s has been in the forefront of the ongoing battle against diabetes in India for many years now. In view
of the urgent need for intervention in rural healthcare and particularly, raising awareness on diabetes
management, the rural healthcare team of Dr. Reddy’s implemented a multipronged approach covering
diagnostic, therapeutic, and awareness and educational programmes.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research – India Diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB) national cross-
sectional study, it is estimated that India has around 101 million people with diabetes and 136 million people
with prediabetes 1 . Dr. Reddy’s diabetes campaign began with the distribution of patient educational material
on diabetes to promote healthy lifestyle choices. Emphasising risk factors, symptoms, and effective
management of diabetes, Dr. Reddy’s’ rural healthcare team conducted 3,600+ UDAY (Unite against
Diabetes & Hypertension) camps, covering a total of 6,000+ villages in India. These camps show Dr. Reddy’s
commitment to address the diabetes crisis in rural India and facilitated the screening of 1.12 lakh patients for
early identification of diabetes cases and those at risk.
Some of the villages that were part of the UDAY camps include: Madha, Indapur and Nilanga from Solapur
(Maharashtra); Chandori and Rajapur from Nashik (Maharashtra); Shiroli and Murgud from Kolhapur
(Maharashtra); Newasa Fata, Jamkhed from Ahmednagar district (Maharashtra); Koradacheri from Tiruvarur
(Tamil Nadu), Pullambadi from Trichy (Tamil Nadu), Parangipettai from Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), Pottaneri
from Salem (Tamil Nadu), Kelamangalam from Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu); Dubbaka in Siddipet district
1 Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17)
(thelancet.com)
(Telangana), Erravalli village in Kondapaka mandal (Telangana), Karepalli in Khammam district (Telangana)
and Devaruppula in Jangaon district (Telangana).
Further, the campaign engaged around 45,000 rural doctors and healthcare professionals in scientific
programmes to enhance their knowledge of therapy, treatment options, and lifestyle modifications in diabetes
management. A webinar featuring renowned endocrinology expert Dr. Sanjay Kalra, Chairperson, Education
working group, International Society of Endocrinology (ISE) provided crucial insights to empower rural India in
diabetes management in regional languages. A session by a nutritionist was an integral part of the webinar,
offering insights into diet and lifestyle modifications crucial for effective diabetes management. Customized
diabetes diet plans, specific to different regions of India, were shared with rural doctors and healthcare
professionals to enhance patient care.
About Dr. Reddy’s Rural Healthcare Team:
Dr. Reddy’s rural healthcare team was established in August 2022 with a mission to improve awareness,
diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. It has been constantly working with doctors based in rural India
for better management of diabetes and hypertension. In December 2022, the team initiated an American
school of CME (ASCME) certification programme in management of Chronic diseases like Diabetes,
Hypertension and Dyslipidemia, engaging over 5,200 plus rural doctors and primary healthcare providers. In
January 2023, with the core objective raising awareness, the team launched a unique programme ‘Unite
against diabetes & hypertension by raising awareness in community’- UDAY. Under this programme, the
team has promoted awareness among 15,000 doctors. Further, it has supported screening of over 1,40,780
patients for diabetes and hypertension, till date, through UDAY health camps.
