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Thiruvananthapuram :A specially-designed floating laboratory to test blood sugar levels will set sail from Punnamada shores in Kerala tomorrow and meander around the banks of Kuttanad which is lying below the sea level and is surrounded by the most famous backwaters of the country.Named as `STAR Boat' (Sugar Testing And Review Boat), the lab aboard the boat will offer free blood sugar tests to the natives by anchoring near to the prominent locations like Kainakary, Kuppapuram, Kavalam and Kuttamangalam in the coming days.
It is for the first time such a healthcare initiative involving a floating lab is being launched at Kuttanad by the public sector HLL Lifecare Ltd.
The initiative comes close on the heels of a successful similar campaign to fight the lifestyle disease of diabetes with `STAR on Wheels' in Thiruvananthapuram in June in the first phase. The dedicated van will tour more places of the State in subsequent phases.
After the STAR Boat was flagged off officially at Punnamada on August 13, the day of Nehru Trophy Boat Race, by Union Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal, as many as 4,000 people took the opportunity to test blood sugar levels. The tests are conducted free of cost as per the request of Mr Venugopal who was the first one to get a test done at the STAR Boat.
Speaking on the initiative, HLL Chairman-cum-Managing Director M Ayyappan said, ''This is an initiative to spread awareness about diabetes and help people check on blood glucose. A specially designed 'Star Boat' equipped with kits and technicians will ferry around different backwater locations reaching out to even those isolated by water bodies. The technicians will provide patient guidance and distribute leaflets.'' The present initiatives assume significance as India is fast becoming the world capital of diabetes, blurring the urban, rural or social divides.
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It is for the first time such a healthcare initiative involving a floating lab is being launched at Kuttanad by the public sector HLL Lifecare Ltd.
The initiative comes close on the heels of a successful similar campaign to fight the lifestyle disease of diabetes with `STAR on Wheels' in Thiruvananthapuram in June in the first phase. The dedicated van will tour more places of the State in subsequent phases.
After the STAR Boat was flagged off officially at Punnamada on August 13, the day of Nehru Trophy Boat Race, by Union Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal, as many as 4,000 people took the opportunity to test blood sugar levels. The tests are conducted free of cost as per the request of Mr Venugopal who was the first one to get a test done at the STAR Boat.
Speaking on the initiative, HLL Chairman-cum-Managing Director M Ayyappan said, ''This is an initiative to spread awareness about diabetes and help people check on blood glucose. A specially designed 'Star Boat' equipped with kits and technicians will ferry around different backwater locations reaching out to even those isolated by water bodies. The technicians will provide patient guidance and distribute leaflets.'' The present initiatives assume significance as India is fast becoming the world capital of diabetes, blurring the urban, rural or social divides.
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