Govt working on mandatory diabetes and hypertension check up for rural people
merisarkar news service.
New Delhi, October 05, 2009
Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has propsed that infrastructure developed through national rural health mission can be leveraged for combating diabetes in India. India has the largest number of diabetics in the world.
Speaking on the occasion of SAARC Diabetes Conference – 2009 on Sunday he said, "We are formulating a scheme to facilitate mandatory check up of the rural population above the age of 40 years for diabetes as well as hypertension through the grassroots health workers, namely, ASHAs."
He said that these health workers can be trained and provided a diagnostic kit to detect diabetes. Simultaneously a programme for diabetes control can be launched.
Govt is of the view that in urban areas people have access to facilities like regular check ups and medicare. However, majority of Indians live in the villages and a large percentage of these diabetic populations are from the rural areas. Rural people have hardly any access to facilities for regular medical checkup.
"If diabetes cases could be easily detected and awareness created among the rural population about its implications, then a substantial dent can be made to this disease," Mr. Azad said.
