Centre to roll out NPCDCS in all dists. Of the country: Azad

The Centre intends to roll out the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) in all districts of the country.
In the pilot phase of the NPCDCS, the Centre had initially selected 100 of the most backward and inaccessible districts in 21 states of the country with poor health parameters and infrastructure, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said today, delivering his address at the 33rd convocation of the PGIMER here.
"Now, we intend to roll it out in all districts of the country by associating both private and government medical colleges in implementing the national programme with the objective of early detection, prevention, control and treatment...," Azad said.

President Pranab Mukherjee was the chief guest at the function, which was also attended among others by Punjab and Haryana Governors Shivraj Patil and Jagannath Pahadia, Union Minister of State for IT, Killi Kruparani, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Punjab Congress President Pratap Singh Bajwa.
A commemorative stamp marking the completion of 50 years of PGIMER's existence was released on the occasion by the President along with Kruparani.
With a number of deaths occurring due to swine flu in various parts of the country, particularly Punjab, Haryana and Delhi since January 1 this year, Azad said, "We now have adequate preparation with regard to surveillance, testing and treatment of H1N1. Our situation today is totally different from what it was when the H1N1 pandemic struck the country in 2009".

Medical colleges at the six new AIIMS at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh have started functioning with admission of 50 students each in September last year, Azad said adding, "the hospitals are going to be made functional this year itself."

"The six new AIIMS and the 19 upgraded institutions will together provide speciality and super speciality care in all disciplines with a net addition of 11,390 beds covering 27 locations spread across the country", he said.
The Minister, who awarded degrees to students from various disciplines, said that a series of reforms in medical education have been undertaken with a view to overcome the acute shortage of human resources in the health sector at various levels.

In just over three years' time, the availability of MBBS seats have gone up from 33,567 to 45,629 while the number of Post Graduate seats have increased from 13,838 to 22,850, Azad said.