WHO Collaborating Centre for Diabetes Treatment and Education

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a section for non-communicable diseases, where the public health problems related to diabetes are treated. The WHO has cooperated with the International Diabetes Federation for many years. The classification of diabetes and diagnostic criteria proposed by its committee is now widely used throughout the world. Many medical schools, hospitals and institutes have been designated as WHO Collaborating Centres, in order to gather and spread information, to moderate cooperative research and assist educational activities. In the field of diabetes, about 30 WHO Collaborating Centres were established. In Japan, one such Centre for Diabetes Treatment and Education was placed in Kyoto National Hospital. In April 1991, the First International Conference on Health Technology in the field of Diabetes was held under the auspice of the Centre (Chairman: Dr. Y. Akazawa). The Centre played a major role in the Japanese national diabetes program, particularly in the field of epidemiology. It is expected to make good contributions also to diabetes in other countries especially in Asia.