Indian Thyroid society (ITS) has been working towards creating awareness about thyroid disorders, with focus on maternal and child health, for over a decade. Under its campaign, Making India Thyroid Aware (MITA) and in partnership with Abbott India, ITS seeks to drive awareness amongst doctors and patients for early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders amongst women in the age group of 25 to 45 years.

MITA drives education amongst healthcare professionals to improve diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders, with respect to patients with conditions such as pregnancy, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, PCOS and infertility.

In 2017-18, Abbott extended an unconditional grant to Federation of Obstetric and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI) to develop the first online certificate course on thyroid. Endorsed by ITS and awarded by the Indian College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ICOG), the 15-credit hour course on “Diagnosis & Management of Thyroid Disorders in Pregnancy” has catered to almost 10,000 gynecologists till date. Following this success, FOGSI plans to offer this program in neighboring countries.

In 2018-19, Abbott collaborated with ITS and FOGSI to launch a first-in-kind program to educate gynecologists on the importance of diagnosing and treating thyroid disorders during pregnancy, as well as in young adolescent women and adult women. These Metabolic Women’s Health workshops will be conducted through 35 sessions across India, engaging 3,500 gynecologists.

This year, Abbott, ITS and FOGSI plan to educate another 20,000 physicians and gynecologists across the country.

MITA also aims to provide affordable diagnosis to those suspected of thyroid disorder to facilitate confirmation and treatment in partnership with NABH accredited laboratory chains