A major gift has been provided to support research, education and prevention in the field of diabetes and related diseases.

At an impressive ceremony on Tuesday, May 29, 2007, attended by representatives of the private and public sectors, the health services profession, and community groups, Mrs. Helen Bhagwansingh very generously presented a gift of five million dollars to UWI, to establish the “Bhagwansingh Hardware Diabetes Education Research and Prevention Trust”. This is a most important milestone in the history of philanthropy in Trinidad and Tobago, representing one of the largest gifts ever made by an individual. As His Excellency The President pointed out, “I cannot think of any such other unsolicited support for the university from a private citizen.” He reminded his audience that private finance has played only an extremely modest role in university funding in Trinidad and Tobago and emphasized that gifts such as those of Mrs. Bhagwansingh will go a long way in creating centres of excellence and attracting outstanding research talent.

Mrs. Bhagwansingh is not only a leading entrepreneur in Trinidad and Tobago. She is also a supporter of causes that make a difference in the lives of her fellow citizens. She is Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Bhagwansingh’s Hardware and Steel Industries Limited, a company with branches in Sea Lots, Chaguanas, Marabella and, most recently, Piarco. Her business interests also include Dansteel Hardware in San Fernando and Centrin Steel Limited in Point Lisas. She has significant shareholdings in Cantrex, an aluminum extrusion manufacturer and in Rainbow Construction, a company that builds low and middle income houses.

Her business career begun in 1969 when she and her husband Hubert bought and operated a drive-in cinema. The following year, they moved into the hardware business, an area in which their activities have grown steadily and successfully so that the name Bhagwansingh has become associated indelibly with the hardware industry.

Her support for this initiative arose out of a meeting with Professor Surujpal Teelucksingh, Head of the Department of Clinical Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Realising that the incidence of diabetes in Trinidad and Tobago is now over twenty percent, that the disease has begun to affect young children, that if it is not brought under control the cost in human suffering and lives will be staggering, and having experienced diabetes in her own family and therefore the debilitating nature of the disease, Mrs. Bhagwansingh, with a determination that is typical of her, decided that the Bhagwansingh Group must make a contribution to the treatment and management of diabetes.

Mrs. Bhagwansingh has stressed that education in schools and communities is essential and that diabetic care must be affordable. This is one of the major reasons for her very generous support of the Diabetes Education, Research and Prevention Institute.

There is no doubt that the problem is a very serious one. Mortality statistics indicate a significant shift in the leading causes of death in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean over the past five decades. Infectious diseases have been superseded by chronic, non-communicable diseases, such as Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension and Heart Disease, that are related to over-eating, lifestyle changes and population change. While earlier studies from the Caribbean and elsewhere focused on individual risk factors, it is now known that the Metabolic Syndrome is a much more powerful predictor of risk of mortality. Clinical experience indicates a high prevalence and early age onset amongst Caribbean peoples.

Whereas in the 1960s, between 2 and 3% of the population suffered from diabetes, current estimates are that between 15 and 20% may now be afflicted. Indeed, up to 30% or more of older people may be suffering diabetes and its complications. Even more alarming is the emergence of diabetes in children and adolescents. It is becoming common for teenagers to show the classic symptoms that have traditionally been seen in older adults. This trend is extremely worrying for the future. It is almost inevitable that the scenario will be realized where young individuals in their late twenties and early thirties, having already had diabetes for one or two decades, will display the clinical status equivalent to that of seventy and eighty year olds. Young adults at the prime of their economic lives will be carrying major complications of diabetes, viz., blindness, renal failure and amputations. Needless to say, life expectancy will be severely curtailed. Moreover, the burden placed on caregivers and on families affected by the inability of breadwinners to work will almost certainly increase.

In thanking Mrs. Bhagwansingh for her support, the Campus Principal, Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie, emphasized that the issues outlined above are those to which the Bhagwansingh Hardware Trust will turn its attention. It will address three principal areas. In the area of education and prevention, a primary school programme promoting healthy lifestyles is to be started. The intention is to create an awareness for screening primary school children for obesity by use of simple indicators – waist circumference, height and blood pressure. In tandem with this a healthy environment in schools will be promoted through use of the following:

• building health messages into school programmes
• encouraging the reduction of sugary soft drinks
• promoting consumption of vegetables and fruits among children

As far as the general public is concerned, diabetes prevention healthy lifestyles through public education strategies will be pursued.

In the area of research, a Diabetes Research Laboratory will undertake ground-breaking research, in collaboration with researchers and clinicians in The University of the West Indies and partner institutions, using point of care testing and external quality assurance. External quality assurance is emphasized, because all research data must meet the highest international standards. There will be continued research for screening for diabetes and assessment of intervention outcomes.

There is no doubt that the generosity of Mrs. Bhagwansingh will strengthen the capabilities of the UWI in the field of diabetes research and education. Members of the Faculties of Medical Sciences and Science and Agriculture have made significant contributions over the years. Work by academic staff including, among others,, Professor Dan Ramdath, Professor Vijay Narinesingh, Dr. Brian Cockburn, Professor Chidum Ezenwaka and Professor Surujpal Teeluckingh have already delivered or are delivering impressive research and training results. At the institutional level, UWI has been involved in several other diabetes management and research initiatives in recent years. These include the following, among others:

• The creation of a regional consortium for the development of a Chronic Disease And Disability regional plan funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, the IDB, to the tune of 650 thousand US dollars
• A joint programme between UWI and Canada’s University of Saskatchewan promoting healthy lifestyles among school-aged children funded by a Canadian grant $24,000 C
• A Future Search Conference held in 2006 to examine the economic and societal impact of chronic diseases and the charting of a way forward as part of a difficult but necessary dialogue
• The Caribbean Commission Taskforce on Health and Development which delivered its report last year under the chairmanship of UWI Chancellor, Sir George Alleyne.

The Business Development Office has been co-coordinating a number of these projects and has worked closely with Professor Teelucksingh in conceptualizing the project on Diabetes Education Research and Prevention and in seeking funding for its implementation.

It is in the context of the threat posed by diabetes and other chronic non-communicable diseases and the track record of the UWI in addressing that threat that the gift from Mrs. Bhagwansingh assumes great significance. It will ensure that the medical, economic and social problems arising from chronic non-communicable diseases are addressed in a sustainable fashion. It will cement the reputation of The University of the West Indies as a leader in this field. It will help attract other sources of funding for this field of research. And most important, it will stand as a permanent tribute to Mrs. Helen Bhagwansingh, a far-sighted, compassionate visionary, a noted philanthropist whose principal goal is to ensure that her fellow citizens benefit from the breadth of her vision.