Telangana govt to complete NCD screening in three-four months: Health Minister

Telangana Health Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday said the state government has taken up screening of people for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which would be completed in another three-four months.

Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday said the state government has taken up screening of people for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) which would be completed in another three-four months. The screening is being done at healthcare facilities like Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Area Hospitals and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) sub-centres across the state.

Harish Rao, who was speaking at an event on the occasion of World Hypertension Day, said 90 lakh people have been screened so far and 13 lakh were found to be suffering from hypertension. The government plans to complete the exercise in another three-four months and emerge to be the number one in the country in NCD screening, he said. The minister also said a simple lifestyle change can make a significant difference in blood pressure control.

Meanwhile, Gleneagles Global Hospitals (GGH), Hyderabad in association with Cardiological Society of India (CSI) - Telangana Chapter released a study showing "alarming results with regard to spike in Hypertension and Diabetes prevalence among the population in Hyderabad". GGH and CSI jointly conducted one of the largest surveys in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Hypertension among public. The survey shows over 50 per cent of the population in the city "are prone to hypertension which will push the already diabetic capital city to also become hypertension capital", said a release from Gleneagles Global Hospitals.

PTI