Tamil Nadu Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian on Saturday said the government’s Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam (MTM) initiative has helped reduce the number of deaths due to non-communicable diseases.
Inaugurating the two-day annual conference of the Tamil Nadu Interventional Council (TNIC) here on Saturday, he said that more than 75 lakh people had received medicines at their doorsteps through the MTM initiative.
He said the present government was investing heavily in improving the healthcare infrastructure. He highlighted that a total of 71,440 persons had benefitted so far through the Innuyir Kappom scheme, under which ₹1 lakh had been released for emergency care in cases of road accidents. He saidthe Union Ministry of Health had shown interest in learning more about the scheme to emulate it elsewhere in the country.
Veteran cardiologists S. Thanikachalam, V. Chockalingam, and J. Balachandar were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards by the TNIC. Mr. Subramanian felicitated them. Senior cardiologist George Joseph was honoured with a Distinguished Mentor Award.
Citing a study, Vijay Bang, president-elect, Cardiological Society of India (CSI), said while mortality due to cardiovascular diseases gradually declined between 1980 and 2010 due to effective interventions, it had been on the rise since 2010 due to the increased prevalence.
He said an upcoming conference of the CSI would specifically focus on measures to reduce mortality due to cardiovascular diseases. He said CSI would also be launching a website to create awareness among the public on cardiovascular health.
K. Dhamodaran, organising secretary of the conference, said more than 750 cardiologists from across the world were participating in the conference.
