Karnataka government has announced that efforts will be on to transfer 27 primary health centres (PHCs) to Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). These 27 PHCs coming under the Bangalore urban and rural districts are under the purview of the directorate of health and family welfare, government of Karnataka. Once the government orders come through the BMP will have to take independent charge of the PHCs.

The state government is also expected to receive financial assistance from UNESCO and along with support of the World Health Organization (WHO), a programme will be initiated to identify a teaching staff in each educational institutions to promote health in all schools in Bangalore urban and rural areas.

At the Healthy City Summit, organized by Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, in association with the Commonwealth Association of Mental Health and Development Disabilities and Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology which is supported by the Commonwealth Foundation (London) with Technical support from the World Health Organization highlighted efforts in Bangalore to control environment, promote health and prevent diseases.

In his address, minister for health and family welfare Kagodu Thimmappa said that the BMP which initiated the 'Healthy City' project should take on the onus of the PHCs to increase the health awareness particularly among the urban poor to prevent communicable diseases, start oral health check-ups, control rabies, Tuberculosis and AIDS and also check mosquitoes breeding to control Malaria.

At present BMP has a jurisdiction of 226 sq. km with 297 health wards. Out of these 4781 BMP Pourakarmikas manage 112 health wards, 5,300 private contract workers manage remaining 185 health wards.

The minister also suggested to make efforts to shift the slums from within the city to the outskirts and provide the dwellers with all facilities like drinking water, sanitation and healthcare services so that they could live away from the city and commute for employment to the city.

The key objective of 'Healthy City' project is to improve the health of urban dwellers especially the low income groups through improved living conditions and better health services. Today, Bangalore has 65 lakh population has a 10 lakh floating population which resulted communicable diseases and high stress disorders.

The main components of the project includes the environmental and clinical aspects based on public, private and community participation.

Through the project the Shantinagar PHC in Bangalore city was identified for the preventive cardiology programme in association with the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology. Around 1012 patients were screened out of which 380 were alcoholics who were counseled and 600 were diagnosed for the first time as having health problems. There were 399 diabetics, 59 hypertensive cases, 69 Ischemic heart diseases and 12 rheumatic heart disorders.

CAMHADD (Common Association of Mental Health and Development Abilities headed by Dr. VR Pandurangi will now conduct a massive preventive healthcare programme for the school children. "This would decrease treatment cost of bypass, rheumatic heart disorders or other diseases if children were diagnosed early in life, stated Dr. AN Prabhudev, director Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.