By IANS,
New Delhi: The union health ministry, the Delhi health department and other civic agencies Tuesday launched a joint campaign in the capital’s slums to create awareness about diabetes and hypertension.
Speaking on the occasion, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and cancer are major challenge for the world today.
Describing diabetes as “silent killer”, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said: “The problem of diabetes in India is taken alarming proportions in the urban population particularly the metros such as Delhi. Every fourth adult person in Delhi is already diabetic.”
Azad said the central government has accepted this problem as a challenge and has decided to screen each and every person above the above of 30 years and all pregnant women in a phased manner.
Under the first phase of the campaign, around 10 crore people in 100 districts of 21 states and urban slums in 33 cities will be screened.