In the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the government should not just step up its awareness drive but also make available a high-fibre diet to prevent the onset of these diseases, feel those in the health sector.
Speaking on the sidelines of an awareness programme on NCDs at the Ilango Adigal Government Higher Secondary School, Muthirapalayam, Dr. M. Danabalan, coordinator, World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) Project, JIPMER, said that a high-fibre diet comprising green leafy vegetables and fruits were vital in controlling NCDs. Several patients had mentioned their inability to buy vegetables and fruits owing to their economic condition, and this aspect was being taken up with various State governments, including Puducherry.
Dr. Danabalan said people were being encouraged to set up kitchen gardens as well. “Only 20 per cent of treatment of NCDs is drug-based. The rest is non-drug based. This includes being physically active, control of tobacco and alcohol use, healthy diet and lifestyle modification. This is the message we give in our awareness programmes.”
The World Diabetes Foundation, in association with the Non-Communicable Diseases Project, JIPMER, and the government of Puducherry, is working on a two-year project to ‘improve prevention and care of non-communicable diseases in the Union Territory of Puducherry.’ It is concentrating on four NCDs — diabetes, hypertension, obesity and stroke. The project with a budget of above Rs. 3 crore is aimed at establishing 16 NCD clinics in Puducherry, according to the WDF website.
Dr. Danabalan said school students and teachers were an important group through which information on NCDs could reach a large part of the population. “About 53 per cent of deaths in India annually are caused by NCDs. India is already the diabetes capital of the world, and is on its way to becoming the capital for hypertension as well,” said Dr. Danabalan.
Awareness programmes for students and teachers were being held in 19 schools in Puducherry, four in Karaikal, two in Mahe and one in Yanam. Awareness programmes and screenings were also being held in 11 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) in Puducherry, apart from two in Karaikal and Mahe each and one in Yanam. The team was also visiting anganwadis at the sub-centres under these health centres, said Kamalini Christilda, project supervisor, WDF project.
So far, 25,000 people had been screened in these PHCs and CHCs. Of this, around 1,800 new cases of diabetes and around 2,000 cases of hypertension had been identified, said Ms. Christilda.
“Apart from low awareness about these diseases, we are also seeing asymptomatic diabetes being reported. Thus most patients do not even know they have diabetes,” said Ms. Christilda.
