The Revised Budget presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan in the Assembly on Friday (June 19) has announced reforms in the implementation of the ‘Mittayi’ scheme of the Kerala government.

Mittayi was launched by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to provide comprehensive support and continuous treatment for children and adolescents with Type 1 diabetes through Mittayi clinics. It is being implemented by the Kerala Social Security Mission under the Social Justice department.

The Chief Minister said in the Budget speech that measures will be taken to prevent diversion of funds allocated for the scheme, ensure the services of 56 endocrinologists at Mittai satellite centres in all districts, and facilitate the availability of quality medicines.

Measures will be taken to provide quality insulin to children affected by Type 1 diabetes, insulin pumps to children with brittle diabetes, and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors to children with exigent circumstances.

Mr. Satheesan said government assistance will be made available for indigenous manufacture of insulin pumps.

Organisations such as the Type One Diabetes Foundation (Kerala) and the Type 1 Diabetic Welfare Society Kerala have welcomed the announcements, saying these address long-standing demands of the children with Type 1 diabetes and their families. They express hope that these will be implemented at the earliest.

Gap in implementation

The Mittayi scheme, launched in 2018, has been plagued by a host of problems. A number of children have been waiting for long to get the benefits of Mittayi though they have registered under the scheme. It is estimated that there are around 6,000 children with Type 1 diabetes in the State. However, only around 2,500 are beneficiaries of Mittayi at present.

For over a year, families of children with Type 1 diabetes have been demanding that quality insulin be provided to their wards as was being done earlier. The insulin currently provided was causing health problems, including diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), among children.

Insulin was not available in government hospitals in some districts, forcing families to depend on expensive private health care, they point out.

The parents have also been demanding insulin pumps, at least for children who have been cleared for it by a technical committee, and continuous glucose monitors for children with complications.

Another long-standing demand is for endocrinologists in hospitals with the Mittayi clinics. Presence of diabetologists alone is not enough, they say.

The UDF government has not announced the budgetary allocation for Mittayi; it is usually around ₹3.5 crore.