Govt’s NCD screening drive diagnoses over 5 cr adults with hypertension, 3 cr with diabetes

New Delhi, Aug 5 The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) has diagnosed over 5 crore adults with hypertension, and 3 crore with diabetes, said Prataprao Jadhav, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.

“NP-NCD, erstwhile NPCDCS, was launched by the Department of Health and Family Welfare with a focus on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management, and referral to an appropriate level of healthcare facilities,” Jadhav said in a reply in the Parliament, during the ongoing Monsoon session.

A population-based initiative for prevention, control, and screening for common NCDs was rolled out in the country under the National Health Mission (NHM) as a part of Comprehensive Primary Health Care in 2016. Under the initiative, persons more than 30 years of age are targeted for their screening.

As per the National NCD portal, “over 38.9 crore have been screened for hypertension; 5.13 crore have been diagnosed; 4.74 crore are under treatment across India,” Jadhav said.

“For diabetes, more than 38.7 crore have undergone screening, of which 3.45 crore have been diagnosed; and 2,83 crore are under treatment,” he added.

The screening drive was also held for oral, breast, and cervical cancers.

“More than 32.8 crore individuals have been screened for oral cancer; of which 94 per cent of diagnosed cases are under treatment,” the MoS said.

“Over 17.2 crore have been screened for breast cancer, of which 41,386 have been diagnosed. And more than 10.2 crore were screened for cervical cancer, of which 90,291 have been diagnosed,” the Minister noted.

Jadhav also shared that infrastructure at the district and Community Health Centre levels under NP-NCD has been significantly enhanced to fight NCDs.

At these centres, prevention, control, and screening services are being provided through trained frontline workers like Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM).

Further, the Minister informed that under the Strengthening of Tertiary Cancer Care Centres Facilities scheme, financial assistance is provided as a one-time grant of up to Rs 120 crore for State Cancer Institutes (SCIs) and up to Rs 45 crore for Tertiary Cancer Care Centres (TCCCs), including the State share.

“As of now, 19 SCIs and 20 TCCCs have been approved across the country,” he said, adding that these institutions serve as critical hubs for advanced cancer care, diagnosis, research, and capacity building and are equipped with specialised infrastructure and expert manpower.

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