Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will take up research to bring down the cost of materials used in bariatric surgery, according to Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Controller, Research and Development, DRDO, and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, BrahMos Aerospace. Addressing a World Obesity Day function here on Saturday at Gem Hospital, he said the DRDO would partner with the hospital and work through its DRDO-BU Centre for Life Sciences in Bharathiar University.
“We can try bringing down the cost of pins used to staple the stomach to make it easier for patients and also help hospitals.” At present the pins were imported and they cost around Rs. 90,000, said C. Palanivelu, director of the hospital.
The DRDO has made some contributions to the medical field such as developing lightweight, low-cost callipers to help orthopaedically challenged, a typhoid detection kit, LASER sensor etc.
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It brought down the weight of the prosthetic limb from three kg to 300 gm. Its typhoid-detection equipment can perform the task in three hours. And it has provided Sanjeevini, equipment made using materials used in submarine, to detect survivors in earthquake, to the National Disaster Management Agency. “DRDO used Sanjeevini in the Gujarat earthquake to rescue a number of survivors, even if they were buried 30 m below ground.”
Likewise, the coronary stent, which the DRDO has developed, has brought down the price of stents from Rs.70,000 to Rs.1 lakh to Rs.10,000. It is made of fissile material. Dr. Pillai said that DRDO had completed the testing of a LASER-based sensor to treat diabetes and the same would be available in the market very soon.
Coimbatore Collector P. Umanath said the challenge before the Obesity Foundation, inaugurated on the day, was to create the awareness in society that it was as much a disease as any other. “People, especially in out country, are under the impression that it is healthy to be fat. That's not the case. They must be told that it is a disease, which will lead to diabetes, hypertension and other complications.”
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Actor Sivakumar suggested that obesity awareness be created in schools, colleges, government offices and other places. Obesity, diabetes and other diseases would torment society as long as man went against nature. Dr. Palanivelu said children being chubby was not a healthy sign. They and their parents needed to be told of the dangers of obesity, especially in children. The Obesity Foundation would sponsor 25 patients a year for bariatric surgery.