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Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, in an attempt to shed India’s tag of being ‘diabetes capital of the world’, has made the diabetes and hypertension tests for all the villagers above 35 mandatory. The test kits have been made easy and affordable.
"We have a huge burden of diabetes. But awareness level about the disease is very low in rural areas. We are planning to provide a diabetes test to villagers above the age of 35 or 40," Azad said.
"We are formulating a scheme to facilitate a mandatory check-up of the rural population for diabetes as well as hypertension through grassroots health workers. They can be trained and provided a diagnostic kit to detect diabetes. Simultaneously, a programme for diabetes control can be launched," he added.
"I have already held a series of meetings with my officers about it. We are serious about it and this is one of my own initiatives," said the Health Minister during the diabetes conference conducted by Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Sunday in New Delhi.
He mentioned that it will be very difficult to use Glucometer for testing 25 to 30 crore people, especially who are 35-40 years. “To test 25 or 30 crore people through this will cost the government around Rs.1,500 to Rs.1,600 crore and this the health ministry cannot afford. I have asked the department of health research to develop cost-effective test sticks”, the health minister said.
"If we fail, we are ready for collaboration with private pharma companies to develop it. I will make sure that villagers get the facility," the minister added.
India has 30 million plus people who are suffering from this medical condition. The major reasons behind this are the change in lifestyle and eating habits.
Even though the urban Indian population has options for undergoing regular check-ups of hypertension and diabetes, the rural people do not have.
"Currently, a stick is used in Glucometer which costs around Rs.30 a piece. Once we develop that here, it should not be more than Rs.five or six. This will be the easiest way to control the disease," Azad said, adding that once people know their blood sugar level, they can seek a doctor's help.
Regional media will also be mobilized to take up the cause, Azad said.
"If diabetes cases could be easily detected and awareness created among the rural population about its implications, a substantial dent can be made to this disease," the minister said.
