Saturday, February 20, 2010

British PM to present Amitabh to Big B

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will present 'Amitabh', a module diabetes unit-bus to be based in Mumbai, to Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Monday.

The bus will help screen people in Mumbai for diabetes and has been donated by diabetes prevention charity organisation Silver Star funded by Indian-origin Labour MP, Keith Vaz.

Brown will present the bus to Bachchan on behalf of Silver Star at a dinner on Monday. The bus has been named 'Amitabh' in honour of the Bollywood star and will bring hope of diabetes diagnosis to thousands of Indians.

Silver Star, founded by Keith Vaz MP in 2007, carries out free diabetes testing and promotes culturally sensitive healthcare, focusing particularly on the high prevalence of diabetes amongst the South Asian community in Britain and Internationally.

Since 2007 Silver Star has tested 4695 people in Britain. There are two such mobile units in the UK. 'Amitabh' will be the second Silver Star Mobile Diabetes Unit in India. Last year Bachchan launch the first mobile unit in Goa, which has so far tested 2075 people.