Government to Take Fight against Diabetes to DHHs

The New Indian Express (Bhubaneswar), March 31, 2015

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government is set to equip district hospitals with advanced diabetes diagnosis equipment and facilities from April as it starts a massive grassroots level drive for detection and prevention of the disease that is on an alarming surge in the population.

District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs) in 15 districts included under National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Hypertension, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) will be equipped with the sophisticated HbA1c analysers for accurate assessment of glycemic or blood sugar level in diabetics.

Contrary to conventional methods of testing fasting blood sugar and post-prandial glucose which give the level on the particular day, HbA1c measures average plasma glucose concentration over prolonged period upto three months. This enables doctors to assess the glycemic control among diabetics and initiate appropriate treatment and medical care. The machines will be installed at a cost of `4.5 lakh each in the NPCDCS districts initially and expanded to the rest DHHs next year.

“This will give a huge boost to the diabetes prevention and control mission undertaken by the Government. With better analysis of blood sugar level over a duration, the doctor can ascertain if the patient has achieved glycemic control or not and also if he is at risk of developing complications. By providing these tests at the DHH level, patients will no longer have to be referred to cities or medical colleges,” State nodal officer, NPCDCS Dr PKB Patnaik said.

The State Government has chalked out an ambititious campaign to screen more than 46 lakh people in the districts of Cuttack, Puri, Ganjam, Khurda, Sambalpur, Raygada, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Sundargarh and Angul starting April.

The exercise will be conducted through special camps as well as community visits by health workers, ANMs and Ashas who would be provided glucometer kits. Those found with high sugar level will be referred to the DHHs concerned for detailed diagnosis and treatment.

Odisha has more than 40 lakh diabetics with incidence ranging from 12 to 16 per cent in urban areas and six to seven per cent in rural parts. The remote tribal-dominated districts have also marked an alarming rise in diabetes burden with Nabrangpur recording around 10 per cent, Nuapada 8.71 per cent, Balangir 7.38 per cent and Koraput 7.17 per cent.

The campaign will also strive to study the incidence of diabetes-related complications in patients. All DHHs are being equipped with semi-auto analysers for conducting kidney tests, lipid profiles and albumin tests which are vital for assessing the patient’s propensity for developing complications like kidney disease and cardiac problems.

Every patient, who is found with diabetes, will also have to undergo tests for diabetic retinopathy at the opthalmological units at DHHs on a quarterly basis, Dr Patnaik added.