Diabetes in India — Data Analytics Case Competition
Client / Context: Devoteam Data Driven & Novo Nordisk
The Challenge
How can data analytics improve diabetes management and insulin distribution in India, where the disease disproportionately affects vulnerable populations with limited healthcare access? This was the question posed at a 24-hour case competition hosted by Devoteam Data Driven and Novo Nordisk, with 80+ Denmark-based students and more than 20 competing groups.
Our Approach
We analysed population, healthcare infrastructure, and logistics datasets to map where distribution bottlenecks were most severe — particularly in rural and semi-urban areas where formal healthcare infrastructure is sparse or absent.
The Insight
Rather than proposing expensive new infrastructure, we identified India's existing network of over 1 million polling stations as a ready-made distribution backbone. These stations are already trusted by local communities, present in even the most rural areas, staffed on a periodic basis, and connected to government logistics chains. By piggybacking on this existing civic infrastructure, insulin distribution and diabetes screening could reach populations that a traditional healthcare build-out would take decades to serve.
Outcome
The solution won the competition against 20+ groups, selected for its originality, analytical rigour, and practical feasibility. The approach demonstrated a core principle we apply to enterprise data work: the most effective solutions often lie in repurposing infrastructure that already exists and is already trusted — rather than building from scratch.
“Discovering how much diabetes affects people worldwide surprised us the most. Seeing how serious it is in the real world, in vulnerable areas — it's a more significant issue than we might realise.”
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