The Union health ministry is planning to frame a comprehensive approach in the coming years to prevent and control major Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors.

Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad announced this while addressing the state health secretaries and functionaries in New Delhi in a day long review meeting for ensuring better participation by state health departments.  He also urged the state governments to ensure effective implementation of programmes funded by the central government.

“Our goal is to develop a health system that is capable of preventing, diagnosing and managing NCDs in each district of the country. Towards this our efforts, in the coming years, would aim at providing universal access to basic services required for managing NCDs and I urge you to extend your State government’s wholehearted cooperation in this venture, without which the best of Government of India’s intentions will not be translated into practice,” Azad said.

It is important to remember that the burden of NCDs is increasing exponentially and early screening and treatment are critical tools we have to combat these life-long ailments, Azad said and warned that NCDs like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide and India is no exception.
Aware of the challenge of combating NCDs, government of India launched the “National Programme for Prevention & Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Diseases (CVDs) and Stroke (NPCDCS)” in the year 2010, Azad said.

“We aim to expand the programme in all 640 districts of the country in the 12th five year plan and, therefore, are eagerly looking forward to the feedback from all of you in order to learn from field level implementation issues,” he added. He reiterated that the basic objective of the national programme is to ensure early detection and, therefore, treatment by creating facilities at Tertiary Care Centers, Districts Hospitals, and Community Health Centers and at Sub Centre level.

The Minister added that under the cancer component of the programme 65 tertiary cancer centres (TCC) are proposed to be established. He asked the state health secretaries to send proposals for TCCs in complete shape at the earliest and to take urgent steps to establish tertiary cancer centres.