India's first diabetes app hoping to 'revolutionise' lives

New Delhi: With the launch of India's first diabetes app, the nation finally has a solution to make the lives of diabetics much easier and convenient in terms of tracking and analyzing their glucose levels.

Created by the Indian start-up of the same name, Diabeto, launched on World Diabetes Day, is claimed to be the only app that facilitates the patients to track their blood glucose data and upload and store securely the diabetes data on to the cloud.

Shreekant Pawar, Co-Founder says, "We have been working on this concept for four years now. The cause is very close to our hearts; in our crowd funding campaign earlier this year the global market validated our idea by helping us raise 18,945 dollars. So, after all the hard work and all this time, we are very happy to announce the worldwide launch of Diabeto."

When asked about how he came up with this idea, Pawar told ANI, "My parents are diabetic since 20 years. Keeping a log of blood glucose can get quite cumbersome and going to the doctor is a tedious process. So, I thought almost everyone has a mobile phone, why not create an app?"

What makes this app unique Pawar says, "There are many apps available, but none gives a 360-degree management solution. We are actually one step closer in becoming a complete management unit from home."

This app also allows the patients to choose a doctor of their choice and schedule a tele-consultation from a pool of diabetes doctors available on the app. A selected doctor can easily access the patient's records and information from the app and give valuable feedback on diabetes management from the comfort of their homes for as low as Rs. 650 per consultation.

Erin, who lives with Diabetes Type 1 says, "I travel a lot and have not had one set endocrinologist for almost six years. Every time, I meet a doctor I end up jotting down all my information and records on a piece of paper. For me being able to maintain a trusted relationship with one doctor who knows me well, can accommodate my lifestyle and already has access to all my glucometer readings will be a big help. An app like Diabeto will bring a welcome change to my life, I can see it being my own little personal Diabetes caretaker."

The current expenditure on diabetes treatment in India is approximately Rs. 6,000 person/annum, as per IDF atlas 2014, whereas the cost of treatment of one complication of diabetes, e.g. treating the diabetic foot is around Rs. 10,000-30,000 per treatment.

With the huge numbers of diabetes patients and complications that India is dealing with, the overall health expenditure per person is much lesser as compared to the developed countries.

Pawar points out that Diabeto is a cost-effective app as it is free to download and there is no charge for the cloud. The only cost one would need to pay is of consultation.

Though India, the 10th biggest economy in terms of GDP and second most populous nation, is actually catching up in technology, it is catching up really fast in the medical facilities, he noted.

Diabetes today affects more than 350 million people across the globe and the numbers are growing daily. Some of the major challenges of living with diabetes are continuous monitoring and tracking, managing diabetes history and records, and with changing lifestyles holding on to one doctor.

Diabetes is growing alarmingly in India, home to more than 65.1 million people with the disease, compared to 50.8 million in 2010. It is predicted that by 2030, diabetes mellitus may afflict up to 79.4 million people in India, while the figures for China could be around 42.3 million and for the United States 30.3 million.

Leading Endocrinologist Dr. Gaurav Beswal, who is one of the doctors available on Diabeto, says: "Keeping a log of self-monitored blood glucose is currently quite cumbersome and an intrusion for people with diabetes. Most commonly the people give paper charts which they are expected to carry around and fill."

He added that the Diabeto app would solve all this by providing a handy and convenient way to log one's blood glucose. The app does not limit itself to just that, it provides a platform to record much more. One of the most useful and unique feature is the option of sharing the log with the doctor or a friend.

The team also plans to launch a compact portable Diabeto device that will enable remote updation of information from Glucometers directly to the app by the end of this year.