“Ek (1) ne Bees (20)” program to screen 5 lakh people for Hypertension
Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC&H) has launched the largest ever cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) outreach program, the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) in private sector in Ludhiana. The initiative named “Ek (1) ne Bees (20)” has galvanized volunteers and trained them to identify high blood pressure patients. Under the program one volunteer screens 20 people every week.
DMC&H has developed training infrastructure to train medical students, nursing staff & senior secondary students to spread awareness and has so far screened more than 1 lakh people. The DMC&H now targets 2000 volunteers in both urban and rural areas so that more and more people can be screened. The hospital has also involved corporates, schools, NGOs, and others in this outreach program.
“The commitment of industry, corporates, business houses and educational institutions including schools to improve community health is commendable, and it was evident through their active involvement during the program,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, President, DMC&H Management Society on the eve of World Hypertension Day (17th May). This is a one-of-a-kind initiative across the country where students of class XI and XII under the supervision of doctors were trained to identify CVDs and treat the patients. Buoyed with success, DMC&H is now intending to train the guards, security personnel, and support staff of different localities.
“This wide coverage has been made possible by training commoners like school students. If we have to achieve the 25 by 25, we need more people to impart knowledge and awareness,” said Dr Gurpreet S Wander, Professor of Cardiology and Principal of DMC&H. The Government of India has launched IHCI to control CVDs. An estimated 20 crore people nationwide have high blood pressure but less than 2 crore have it under control which is around 10 percent. The government intends to raise it to 25 percent by 2025.
“We are excited to launch the India Hypertension Control Initiative in Ludhiana, which underscores our commitment to combating cardiovascular diseases at the grassroots level,” said Bipin Gupta, Secretary DMC&H Management Society. Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart attacks and stroke, are the most common cause of mortality and morbidity across the world and are responsible for one-third of total deaths in India.
While the deaths due to CVDs are decreasing in rich countries, they are increasing in low and middle-income countries. Hypertension contributes to an estimated 1.6 million deaths annually in India, due to ischemic heart disease and stroke.
The India Hypertension Control Initiative is a multi-partner, five-year initiative between the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), State Governments, WHO India, and the non-government organization Resolve to Save Lives.
