The addition of many new diseases or disease-groups and new health initiatives have prompted the Central government to widen and rename its programme for control and prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has also decided to rename the portal which enables population enumeration, risk assessment, and screening for five common NCDs, including hypertension, diabetes, and oral, breast and cervical cancers of the population aged above 30 years.
The MoHFW communicated its decision to the States on May 3 through a one-page letter and asked them to adhere to the changes.
In its communication, the Ministry said that since there has been an addition of diseases to the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease etc., “there is a need that the Scheme in its present form may subsume all types of NCDs under a new name”.
“To this effect, MoHFW has decided to rename ‘NPCDCS’ as ‘National Programme for Prevention & Control of Non-Communicable Diseases [NP-NCD]’,” the Ministry noted.
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NPCDCS is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM) across the country.
Meanwhile, the letter addressed to Principal Secretaries and Health Secretaries of all States and Union Territories added that the application or software named Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Non-Communicable Disease (CPHC NCD IT) rolled out under the programme for screening and management, will now be renamed ‘National NCD Portal’.
“The coverage of the CPHC NCD IT system is increasing rapidly, covering more population. Accordingly, CPHC NPD portal will now be known as the National NCD Portal,” the letter said.
“Accordingly, keeping in view of the above decisions of the Ministry, the State Government(s)/UT(s) are advised to take further necessary action to use the above names for the scheme and portal in all their future references and correspondences with Government of India,” the communication said.
Meanwhile, a study ‘India: Health of the Nation’s States - The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative in 2017’ by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) estimated that the proportion of deaths due to NCDs in India have increased from 37.9% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016.
The four major NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes which share four behavioural risk factors – unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, and use of tobacco and alcohol. Under NPCDCS, 677 NCD district-level clinics, 187 District Cardiac Care Units, 266 District Day Care Centres and 5,392 NCD Community Health Centre-level clinics have been set up.
