The Indian Institute of Diabetes (IID) can play a big role in research, Health Minister, Veena George, has said.
Even though IID has been taking up research, more focussed research on reducing morbidity due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was in order, she claimed, while inaugurating World Diabetes Day at the IID here on Tuesday.
NCDs are the biggest health challenge faced by the State today, which threatens to erode all other socio economic advancements made by Kerala. Under the Aardram Arogyam campaign, health workers have been making home visits to screen everyone over 30 years for diabetes and elevated blood pressure.
Screening of over 1.49 crore persons have been completed so far. About 13.12 lakh people have been detected with diabetes and another 16.21 lakh with hypertension and 6.15 lakh persons with both diabetes and hypertension. Their follow-up care is being taken up, she said.
The focus would have to move to prevention of lifestyle diseases, for which the Health department had been implementing various lifestyle modification programmes, Ms. George said.
Principal of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Linette Morris, Deputy Director of Health Services Bipin Gopal, and CEO of IID P.K. Jabbar were present on the occasion.
