Punjab Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday launched a comprehensive health awareness campaign on hypertension. The state Minister in-charge, Brahm Mohindra, flagged off van for awareness campaign that will cover major villages and towns of the State for 30 days to generate awareness on the non-communicable diseases.
“Department of Health and Family Welfare has started screening of all individuals above 30 years of age under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke. The screening is being done at population level through ANMs and at institution level by doctors,” said Mohindra. Till date 22,68,537 individuals have been screened for these diseases and 5,35,620 (23.6 percent) persons have been found to be suffering from Hypertension.
During 2016-17, on an average 1,13,160 individuals were screened every month out of which 14,250 (12.6 percent) were found hypertensive and put on treatment.
Mohindra said individuals suffering from diabetes weremore prone to hypertension, cardiac disease and stroke. It caused changes in the eye which may lead to blindness, affects kidneys, liver, heart as well as brain. Hypertension predisposes the individual to cardiac disease and stroke.