The Department of Public Health is working to establish quality diabetes testing centres in all primary health centres (PHC) and mobile medical units or ‘Hospital on wheels’ (HoW) in the State. As of now, a majority of the 1,751 PHCs and 416 HoW have such facilities, according to Director of Public Health K. Kolandaswamy.
Speaking to The Hindu here on Saturday along the sidelines of the Covai Update Programme in Diabetes, he said that the focus now was on screening of diabetes among pregnant women. He expressed the hope that this objective would be achieved in a matter of months. This facility had already been established in all the 250 Government Hospitals, 19 medical colleges and upgraded PHCs.
“Once the diabetes testing facilities are in place, it can be easily extended to cover other non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as hypertension, cervical and breast cancers.”
Through the State government’s NCD campaign, he said that a massive increase in screening had already been achieved in recent months. All diabetes patients detected through the State health apparatus received drugs free of cost life-long. They also received follow-up treatment through the HoWs/ GHs or at private hospitals empanelled under the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Epidemiology had been tasked with taking up population-based studies to ascertain data on diabetes.
Focus is on screening of diabetes among pregnant women
