Government to expand diabetes screening programme

New Delhi, Aug 5 (ANI): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said the central government will expand the diabetes screening programme all over the country to tackle its rising cases.

In reply to oral questions in the Lok Sabha, Azad said: "The Government proposes to expand the screening programme through out the country to tackle rising cases of diabetes with other components of the programme.

he monitoring would be done through National, State and District level Non-Communicable Disease Cells. The community based strategies for the prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases would continue to be hallmark ormainstay of the program," he said

"The funding requirement would be more than six times of the budget allotted for 100 Districts in the 11th five year plan i.e. Rs. 1230.90 crores. The State Government share would be 20 per cent while the central share would be 80 per cent," he added.

He said the Centre has also initiated a National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases in one hundred districts in 21 States.

The International Diabetes Federation has estimated the total number of people in India with diabetes to be over five crore in 2010. This figure is likely to go up to eight crore by 2030. Unhealthy lifestyle, physical inactivity and inappropriate diet are the major reasons for increase in diabetes, an official release said. (ANI)