MV Diabetes has its origins in the early 1950s, when India was still in its infancy, and qualified doctors and well-appointed hospitals were hard to come by. And diabetes was a relatively unknown disease. Yet, nothing deterred Prof. M. Viswanathan, a young doctor who graduated from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, from starting MV Hospital as a general hospital. In 1971 it became a hospital exclusively for diabetes care.

Over the next 50 years, Under Prof. M. Viswanathan’s professional and administrative leadership, the hospital has grown to achieve the status of a teaching institution of international excellence. In the words of Paul Zimmet of Australia an internationally respected WHO Consultant in Diabetes, “The Diabetes Research Centre is an outstanding example of how pursuit of a dream and excellence produces exotic fruits. There are few centres in the world that can match the all-round capabilities of your Centre in — Care, Education, Research and Prevention. This blend enhances each of these areas and I would say the Diabetes Research Centre in Madras is one of the World’s finest diabetes establishments and its best-kept secret.”