Endorsing the views that India is the world capital of diabetes, the ongoing mass screening by the Union Government has found that over seven per cent of the total people covered under the programme were having suspected cases of diabetes.

“As on February 20, 2013, 1.57 crore persons in 21 States have been screened out of which 11.48 lakh, constituting 7.30 per cent of the total number, are found suspected for diabetes. Some districts in southern States reported high number of cases, compared to those in the North,” a senior official of the Union Health Ministry said.

Under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke (NPCDCS), launched in 100 districts in 21 States in 2010, screening for diabetes and hypertension has been taken up for persons aged 30 years and above.

Under the scheme, the Ministry has supplied glucometers, glucostrips and lancets (testing kits for diabetes) to 96 districts of 21 states. Under the programme, financial assistance upto Rs. 1.00 lakh per patient is provided for chemotherapy drugs to treat 100 cancer patients per district.

The programme also envisages strengthening Government Medical College Hospitals and erstwhile Regional Cancer Centres (RCC) across the country as Tertiary Cancer Centres (TCC) for providing comprehensive Cancer care services. These institutions are eligible for financial assistance upto Rs. 6.00 crore (Rs. 4.80 crore from Central Government and Rs. 1.20 crore from State Government).

“For the prevention and control of TB, the Government is implementing the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). Awareness generation activities are inbuilt in the said programme and are being implemented at the National, States and Districts levels. Under the programme, diagnosis and treatment facilities including anti TB drugs are provided free of cost to all TB patients. For quality diagnosis, designated microscopy centres have been established for every one lakh population in the general areas and for every 50,000 population in the tribal, hilly and difficult areas. More than 13000 microscopy centres have been established in the country,” Ministry official said.