Health checkup of female health workers conducted in Punjab

Health checkup of over 11,000 ASHA workers and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives has been conducted across Punjab to make women aware about health issues.
As many as 11,178 Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) were screened for diseases like anaemia, hypertension, diabetes and cancer under free annual preventive health checkup (FAPHC) programme, state Health minister Brahm Mohindra said today.
The objective of this initiative was to educate women in reducing the risk of lifestyle diseases and lay emphasis on the importance of preventive health checkups, the minister was quoted as saying in an official release.
He said the health department envisages that these female health workers (ANM and ASHA) would motivate people, especially women, to avail the preventive health checkup facility under FAPHC.

The minister said of the total ANM and ASHA workers screened, 1,663 were found to be anaemic, 516 obese, 1,396 suffering form hypertension and 642 were found diabetic.
Apart from this, 10 health workers were suspected to be suffering from liver ailments, two from breast cancer and 7 from cervical cancer, Mohindra said.

He said under the FAPHC programme, basic tests for blood pressure, hemoglobin, blood sugar, kidney and liver function tests and consultation by doctors are done for all people of Punjab above 30 years at all community health centres of the state.
Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Vini Mahajan, said the motive behind the medical screening of female health workers was to make women aware about their health issues.

As the awareness about preventive health checkup increases, more women without any pre-diagnosed diseases are likely to come forward for routine preventive health checkups, Mahajan said.