Mumbai: BMC to start door-to-door screening for diabetes, hypertension

A civic health staff conducts door-to-door screening under ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ scheme, in Kandivli, on September 30, 2020. File Pic/Satej Shinde

Community health volunteers (CHV) will soon start door-to-door screening Mumbaikars for lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. In a bid to find those suffering from such diseases, the civic health department has decided to train thousands of such volunteers.

As per civic officials, lifestyle diseases are taking a toll on Mumbaikars with more than 1 lakh patients in the city. Currently, there are 35,000 patients with diabetes who are registered with civic-run health facilities and taking treatment.

So far, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation would take verbal information from citizens, which was followed even during its ‘My Family, My Responsibility' campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic. But now the civic body wants a better reach among citizens and hence wants to start door-to-door screening.

BMC Executive Health Officer Dr Mangala Gomare said, "We aim to find those who might be having diabetes and hypertension but are not aware of it. Our CHVs will screen people during door-to-door visits. They will be trained to check blood pressure and sugar levels, and then refer patients to dispensaries for confirmation. It will help identify suspected patients."

A report by the Praja Foundation has highlighted the burden of these two diseases. It stated that in 2015, as many as 2,544 people from the city died due to diabetes and 4,486 lost their lives because of hypertension. The report further added that in 2020, death due to diabetes stood at 16,021 while fatalities owing to hypertension was at 5,965.

Deputy Executive Health Officer and Mumbai Non Communicable Disease Cell chief Dr Daksha Shah said, "Both the diseases are lifelong. A total of 3,000 health volunteers will be trained in a phase-wise manner and we will start screening soon after. We have identified a ward to implement screening on a pilot basis. Based on the outcome, we will extend our reach to other wards too."

Dr Ramesh Bharmal, former director of a civic-run hospital, said, "It is a good move by the health department and it will help identify people who are at an early stage of the disease. If diagnosed early, the treatment will also start and help curb the progress."

3k
No. of volunteers that BMC aims to train