Students with type 1 diabetes can now carry glucometers, insulin, snacks in UP govt schools

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday said children with type 1 diabetes will be able to check their blood sugar, inject insulin, take mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks and perform prescribed diabetes care activities in class and during examinations as well. The move follows instructions by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), according to an official statement.

Director General of School Education Vijay Kiran Anand has written to Joint Director of Education (Basic) Ganesh Kumar to issue guidelines to be implemented in schools run by the basic education department. As per the guidelines, students up to 19 years of age with type 1 diabetes who are appearing in school exams and other competitive tests be given a few exemptions, including the permission to carry glucometers and glucose test strips, sugar tablets, medicines, fruits, snacks and drinking water which can be kept with invigilators and used as needed.

These are to be followed during classes as well and students may participate in sports as per medical advice, according to the statement. Students using CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring), FGM (Flash Glucose Monitoring) and insulin pumps should be allowed to keep these devices during exams as these are attached to their bodies, as per the guidelines.

If a smartphone is required for their reading, then this smartphone can be given to the teacher or the invigilator for monitoring of the blood sugar level, it added. A letter by the NCPCR to the education department of Uttar Pradesh stated that according to the Diabetes Atlas 2021 data of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), India has the highest number of children suffering from type 1 diabetes in the world.