ASEM Workshop on Non-Invasive Technologies for Diagnostics & Treatment of Diabetes as a Lifestyle Disease

4 February 2017




New Delhi, 4 February, 2017 - The Ministry of External Affairs and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) co-hosted the ‘ASEM Workshop on Non-Invasive Technologies for Diagnostics & Treatment of Diabetes as a Lifestyle Disease’ at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi today as part of Health Tech India Event being organised in the 22nd International Engineering and Technology Fair.

Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, in his opening address, highlighted that the inclusion of healthcare in the ASEM agenda would go a long way in addressing the health related problems in the region wherein Diabetes and other Non-Communicable Diseases have great potential in hindering the growth pathways of economy in a significant manner. In his address, Mr Gonchig Ganbolo, Ambassador of Mongolia to India, flagged diabetes related problems in his country and sought Indian investments in the social sectors including setting up of hospitals in that country.

Sketching the future proportion of diabetes and lifestyle disease in India, Dr Shubnum Singh, Member-CII National Healthcare Council, in her message, opined that technology could leverage in providing low cost treatment to diabetes patients and could also help in preventing the disease and underscored the need for industry and the Government coming together in one platform.

Dr Rana Mehta, Knowledge Partner on Healthcare to CII and partner & Lead Healthcare, PwC, spoke while setting the stage for the discussions to follow and stressed the need for undertaking research and development and promoting innovations to address the menace of diabetes in the country.

The Keynote Address was delivered by Ms Pooja Kapur, Joint Secretary, ASEAN, Ministry of External Affairs who stated that Diabetes affected 285 million people world - wide and that number was expected to reach 438 million by the year 2030. She referred to various steps being undertaken by Government of India to tackle the silent killer – diabetes and highlighted that India had taken a lead in organising the event so that the ASEM medical community, businesses and researchers could come together to share knowledge on the latest advances in the field of Non Invasive Technologies.

A number of dignitaries attended the event, notably, H.E. Ms. Byambasuren Lamjav, the Vice Minister for Health, Mongolia. The event was attended by more than 100 participants with many of them being foreign participants from ASEM countries.

The workshop included eminent panelists to include medical practitioners, researchers and academicians from India and the ASEM countries. Held in the form of panel discussions, the focus of the workshop was on sharing the latest research and information available on the Non Invasive Technologies that could be utilised for Diabetes.

ASEM which stands for the Asia Europe Meeting, is a unique platform for dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe - two of the oldest and most dynamic continents on the planet. The grouping was created out of the mutual recognition that both continents would benefit universally from further strengthening their multifarious relationship, especially in the context of the new challenges and exciting opportunities of the contemporary world.

The ASEM dialogue process encompasses political, economic and socio-cultural cooperation, which is undertaken in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership. The discussions focus on actual, tangible result-oriented initiatives in specific areas with one of the identified areas being the Technologies for Diagnostics. It is this context that India has taken the lead in organising the first workshop in this area, covering one of the biggest public health challenges in the world today-Diabetes.