Chikkamagaluru has become the first district in the country to complete enrollment and screening of non-communicable diseases among people aged above 30.
With detailed planning and active participation of officers and workers on the ground, the screening was conducted for three months from September 2021 to identify people with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, besides cancers — oral, breast, and cervical.
Being monitored
Following the screening, the officers have been regularly monitoring the people with diseases and ensuring that they are getting treatment. “Chikkamagaluru is the only district in the country to complete this activity, which is part of Ayushman Bharat programme,” said G. Prabhu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chikkamagaluru Zilla Panchayat. The CEO made a presentation on the achievement of the district at a recent conference of Deputy Commissioners and zilla panchayat CEOs in Bengaluru, in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
The staff members of the Health and Family Welfare Department screened 4,46,447 people aged above 30 in the district. Of them, 41,803 were found to be diabetic and 58,317 people were suffering from hypertension. As many as 846 people, including 411 women, were found to be suffering from oral cancer. As many as 134 cases of breast cancer and 43 cases of cervical cancer were reported. Besides that, 35 people are still undergoing further advanced tests to diagnose their ailment.
“This is a major work our staff did. They visited door to door and screened people. Many people in rural areas would not know about their health status. A majority of people consult doctors only in the later stages of an ailment. In this regard, the work done by the team led by District Surveillance Officer H.K. Manjunath is remarkable,” said Mr. Prabhu.
Chikkamagaluru has one district hospital, six taluk hospitals, five community health centres, 89 primary health centres, two urban health centres, 365 sub-centres, and 228 health and wellness centres. “With the network of health institutes, we are following up each case regularly and providing service at the doorstep of people,” the officer said.
Health cards
The district administration has distributed Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka Health cards to five lakh beneficiaries in the district. With this card, members from below the poverty line (BPL) families can get treatment for up to ₹5 lakh. People from above the poverty line (APL) families can get a reduction of 30% on the medical bill.
“People identified with severe health problems are getting treatment with the help of these cards. Because of the health cards, we have been able to refer them to top private hospitals for procedures such as chemotherapy,” the officer said. Senior officers are reviewing the status of cases regularly. “The objective of the screening is to diagnose serious health problems at an early stage and provide them with necessary treatment. With this, we can tackle the impact of COVID-19 pandemic as well, as the infection can harm people with comorbidities seriously,” the officer said.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, who was in Chikkamagaluru recently, appreciated the achievement of the district in the screening of non-communicable diseases and becoming the first district in the country to do so.
