Strip tease

Even  though India is the diabetes capital of the world, few use medical devices for self-monitoring of blood glucose levels. Patients of type 1 diabetes, which is genetic, require regular monitoring. Ninety-nine per cent diabetics in India are of the type 2 variety, which is controlled by using a combination of insulin, glucose lowering drugs, exercise and diet control. Blood sugar testing plays a small role in this. But companies are now inventing a market by selling self-testing kits to type 2 diabetics.

Ashlesha Kamat, a middle-aged housewife in Mangalore, found she had type 2 diabetes. Kamat’s diabetes is mild; diet control and exercise can manage her problems.
   

Yet she uses Accu-Chek blood glucose meter manufactured by Roche Diagnostics India. Kamat’s doctor recommended testing at home. She spends around Rs 1,000 a month on them.