TN earmarks Rs 158 cr to check non-communicable diseases

Under its health systems project, the Tamil Nadu government has earmarked Rs 158 crore to enhance infrastructure facilities for early detection and treatment, and awareness creation on non-communicable diseases during the current financial year.

The state government would provide a special focus on non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and cancer of breast and cervix, which are emerging as major causes of morbidity and mortality.

The government is adopting a two-pronged strategy to tackle the issue – creating awareness on prevention through lifestyle changes at various levels and creation of infrastructure facilities for early detection and treatment.

The pilot schemes have already been implemented successfully in two districts, and the government is scaling up the activity in the entire state in phases, said state health minister VS Vijay.

 

“During Phase-I, the programme has been taken up for implementation in 16 districts. It will be implemented in the remaining 16 districts during the later part of the year. Around Rs 158 crore has been earmarked for implementing these programmes during this year,” he said in a recent policy note on health and family welfare.

It may be noted that the government had also announced setting up of a State Cancer Registry to collect details of all the cancer cases in the state from this year. The government has identified that the incidence of cancer as a disease has gradually been increasing and has become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the state.

The government has also announced its plans to set up regional cancer centres at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai and Coimbatore Medical College Hospital, at a cost of Rs 15 crore per centre.

These centres would address the needs of the cancer patients in the southern and western regions of the state. A new programme to screen the high-risk population for oral cancer and to diagnose it at an early stage would also be launched, the note added.