The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : GRH proposes comprehensive diabetes master health check up

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Sunday, Jul 05, 2009
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GRH proposes comprehensive diabetes master health check up

R. Sujatha

The check up is proposed to be offered to high-risk patients

— PHOTO: M. KARUNAKARAN

New role: The Government Royapettah Hospital is roping in college students to spread the message that lifestyle changes are leading to diabetes.

CHENNAI: The Government Royapettah Hospital has proposed to launch a comprehensive diabetes master health check up on the lines of the regular master health check up (MHC) programme.

The check up is proposed to be offered to high-risk patients, said K. Rajendran, hospital Superintendent and Director of the Institute of Non-Communicable Diseases.

Besides blood and urine tests done as part of the MHC, the check up would include three months’ average of sugar levels, lipid profile, echo cardiographic stress test for the heart, eye and kidney function, and the Doppler test for diabetic foot ulcers.

“In India, neuropathic problems are high. We have found that in every government hospital in the State, about 100 amputations are necessitated every year because of diabetes-related complications,” said vascular surgeon S.R. Balasubramanian.

The Doppler tests would check for changes in nervous system, circulatory system and the arch of the foot and offer patients a guide to prevention of foot ulcers. There would be tests to identify liver enlargement and polycystic ovarian disease also.

Following the tests, the patients would be offered counselling on diet. However, the pricing of the tests is yet to be decided. Initially, people coming for the MHC would be screened and high-risk patients advised to opt for diabetes health check, Dr. Rajendran said.

The idea was mooted after the hospital’s experience during the World Hypertension Day observed on April 15, when Dr. Rajendran visited areas around the hospital and distributed outpatient tokens to 500 persons asking them to come to the hospital for a free blood pressure check up.

“Only 18 of them turned up for the BP check but during the same time an equal number of persons were admitted to the hospital with stroke, caused by uncontrolled BP. This was why we decided to offer a comprehensive diabetes health check programme,” he said.

Earlier, the hospitals roped in 10 women’s colleges in the city and taught volunteers to measure body mass index (BMI). The volunteers maintained a register and offered dietary advice to students with BMI above the acceptable level. From this year, the hospital proposes to involve men’s colleges too in the programme.

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