TYPE 1 DIABETES AND NCPCR – SCI & TECH
News: NCPCR writes to States to introduce concessions for children with Type
1 diabetes in schools
What's in the news?
● The
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the
Chairman/Secretary Education Boards of all States and Union Territories,
stating it is the duty of schools to ensure that children with Type 1 diabetes
(T1D) are provided with proper care and required facilities.
● T1D
is diagnosed in childhood or adolescence as a condition where the pancreas
produces little or no insulin.
a. This
requires the children to constantly monitor their sugar levels and diet, and
regulate physical activity. Treatment involves taking multiple injections of
insulin daily, lifelong.
Key takeaways:
● According
to data from the International Diabetes Federation Atlas 2021, India has the world’s highest number of
children and adolescents living with Type I Diabetes Mellitus (TIDM), at over
2.4 lakh, in the southeast Asia region.
● As
per the note, a child with T1D who requires a mid-afternoon snack should be
permitted by the class teacher to consume it. Those writing exams may be
allowed to carry medicines, snacks and water with them, a glucometer and
glucose testing strips to test blood sugar and continuous/flash glucose
monitoring devices or insulin pumps.
a. In
fact, the NCPCR appeals to States that in case a smart phone is required to
monitor sugar levels, it should be allowed and can be held by the invigilator
in the hall
● It
is also important to make insulin available to all children with T1D and the
State has a key role in ensuring this, he said. While philanthropic efforts in
various parts of the country do provide free insulin to children, Tamil Nadu
had been providing free insulin for its children with T1D since 1988
Go Back to Basics:
|
Types |
About the disease |
Causes |
|
Type 1 -
Insulin dependent diabetes |
This is caused by the destruction of
β-cells of the pancreas. It is characterized by abnormally elevated blood glucose
levels (hyperglycemia) resulting from inadequate insulin secretion.
IDDM accounts for 10 to 20% of the
known diabetics.
The condition also occurs in children (juvenile onset diabetes) and young
adults,
Occurs sudden and life threatening
|
Genetic inheritance and environmental
factors (infections due to virus, acute stress) are the cause for this
condition |
|
Type 2
Insulin independent diabetes |
Insulin production by the pancreas is
normal but its action is impaired. The target cells do not respond to
insulin. It does not allow the movement of glucose into cells.
Accounting for 80 to 90% of the
diabetic population.
Adult onset diabetes
It develops slowly, usually milder and
more stable. |
The causes are multifactorial which
include increasing age (affecting middle aged and older people), obesity,
sedentary lifestyle, overeating and physically inactive. |
About NCPCR:
● Set
up in March 2007 under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.
● It
works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
● Definition:
The Child is defined as a person in the
0 to 18 years age group.
● The Commission’s Mandate
is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms
are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the
Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
● Composition:
This commission has a chairperson and six members of which at least two should
be women.
○ All
of them are appointed by the Central Government for three years.
○ The
maximum age to serve in commission
is 65 years for Chairman and 60 years
for members.
● Quasi-Judicial body: Under
the RTE Act, 2009, the NCPCR can:
○ Inquire
into complaints about violation of the law.
○ Summon
an individual and demand evidence.
○ Seek
a magisterial enquiry.
○ File
a writ petition in the High Court or Supreme Court.
○ Approach
the government concerned for prosecution of the offender.
Recommend interim relief to those affected.