Diabetes patients connect at Joka home with the help of Calcutta based charity
Telegraph | 18 November 2025
A city-based charity took twelve children and several youths suffering from Type 1 diabetes to an old-age home in Joka on Sunday.
Some of the residents of the Joka home are also diabetes patients.
Debasis Basu, a diabetologist and chairman of Metta Dana Foundation, the charity that works with diabetes patients, said the visit was in tune with the theme for this year's World Diabetes Day — diabetes across life stages.
World Health Organisation's (WHO) website states that the key messages of the theme are — diabetes can affect people at every stage of life, and prevention and care efforts must be integrated across life stages.
People from different age groups spent the day singing and chatting with each other.
"The well-being of diabetes patients is vital," said Basu.
"The children who visited the Joka home are aged between 10 and 22. They are all suffering from Type 1 diabetes," said Basu.
One of the most neglected forms of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which can occur in pregnant women.
WHO's website mentions that "women with gestational diabetes are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy and during delivery." The website adds: "These women and possibly their children are also at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the future."
Basu said that a lack of awareness among the people, and even among doctors, results in late diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
"This causes a lot of complications during pregnancy and also for the newborn. We counsel the women and ask them to consume healthy and nutritious food for the sake of their child," Basu said.
The charity also funds the insulin requirements of many children and homeless people suffering from Type 1 diabetes.