As NCDs continue to burden public health, Chandigarh health dept drive aims 100% screening

Indian Express

23-06-2025

Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the mandate is to ensure 100 per cent screening of all 30 years plus population for diseases like diabetes, hypertension, oral, breast and cervical cancers.
As early identification and action are vital for prevention, the Health Department of Chandigarh is organising population-based and opportunistic screening for individuals above 30 years of age in the health and wellness centres, and other facilities in Chandigarh, with a major footfall for NCD screening seen at the centres, with free tests, medicines and follow-up.
The mass screenings are done as the NCDs are affecting every age group, thereby becoming a major public health concern.
'Apart from NCDs, we also focused on TB and HIV testing. This drive enhanced public awareness and encouraged maximum community outreach, including door-to-door visits of front-line workers to increase coverage,' Dr Suman Singh, director, Health Services, said.
The screening target of hypertension and diabetes was 4,51,030, and the screening achievement was 102.76 per cent for hypertension and 102.89 per cent for diabetes.
'As part of the NCD data calculated till now, as many as 49,130 people, which is 10.6 per cent of the target, were diagnosed as hypertensive, and 31,558 or 6.8 per cent were diagnosed diabetic on screening and have been put on treatment,' Singh shared.
Diabetes has assumed epidemic proportions, with India now known as the diabetes capital of the world. The risk of diabetes is increasing rapidly, even in young people, with many diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, Dr Ashu Rastogi, Associate Professor, Department of Endocrinology, PGIMER said.
This is unlike Western countries, where diabetes typically manifests after the age of 60. The reasons for this include a genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors like modern-day stress, a sedentary routine, reliance on fast food, and a lack of regular exercise. 'One in every four new diabetes patients is below 40 years of age. Apart from an unhealthy diet, lack of sleep, and inadequate physical activity are also contributing to the high numbers,' Rastogi added.
Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, explained Rajesh Vijayvergiya, Department of Cardiology at PGIMER, is a term when the individual's blood pressure is more than 140 mmHg systolic and or more than 90 mmHg diastolic blood pressure. For an adult individual, the blood pressure should be less than 140/90mmHg.
'A high prevalence of HTN in urban populations is because of certain unhealthy lifestyles adopted by urbanites, such as lack of physical activity, obesity, increased salt intake by consuming junk and canned foods, and smoking and alcohol consumption, which increase the prevalence of diabetes and increase stress,' Vijayvergiya highlighted.
Most often, HTN does not cause any symptoms and is also known as a silent killer. There are a few symptoms, such as persistent headache, blurring of vision, tiredness, dizziness or spontaneous bleeding from the nose or within the eye, which can suggest underlying high blood pressure.
'Everyone should have his/her blood pressure measured once at the age of 18-20 years, and then to be repeated every 5 years to make an early diagnosis of high blood pressure. Obesity, lack of physical activities/exercise, increased salt and alcohol intake, smoking, high consumption of salt-rich food such as junk and packed foods, pickles, sauces, processed cheese, frozen meals etc, advanced age and genetic susceptibility are a few of the risk factors for HTN,' Vijayvergiya underscored.
The expert added that HTN is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, heart failure, brain strokes, lower limb claudication, loss of vision etc.
'To manage HTN, decrease your body weight to achieve a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25 kg/m2. Good food habits include low salt intake (less than 5 g/day), stop smoking and alcohol consumption; increase intake of fruits, vegetables and pulses; and avoid salt-rich food,' Vijayvergiya recommended.