The ‘India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)’, a large-scale hypertension intervention under the National Health Mission has seen 3.4 million hypertensive people identified and put on treatment at various government health facilities.
India on Wednesday won a United Nations (UN) award for its ‘India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)’, a large-scale hypertension intervention under the National Health Mission that saw 3.4 million hypertensive people identified and put on treatment at various government health facilities, the government said.
“India wins an @UN award for “India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI)” – a large scale hypertension intervention within existing primary healthcare system under National Health Mission. IHCI has strengthened PM @NarendraModi Ji’s mission to ensure health & wellness for all,” Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a tweet.
The ‘2022 UN Interagency Task Force, and WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care Award’ was announced at the UN General Assembly side event at New York, USA.
IHCI is a collaborative initiative of the health ministry, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), state governments and World Health Organization-India.
“IHCI has been able to leverage and strengthen the existing health care delivery system, hypertension control interventions under National Health Mission and improve the linkages between populations-based screening initiative with health care,” the health ministry said in a statement.
“The UN award recognises the outstanding commitment and action of India to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs); and deliver integrated people-centric primary care. The UN Task Force has identified organisation that has multisectoral approach in prevention and control of NCDs and multisectoral action with demonstrated results at primary care for prevention and control of NCDs and related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” it added.
The initiative was launched in 2017, and expanded in a phased manner to cover more than 130 districts across 23 states. Under the initiative, at least 3.4 million people with hypertension are taking treatment in government health facilities, including Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centres (HWCs), according to the government data.
Hypertension is called a silent disease, and estimates suggest that one in four adults in India has high blood pressure. The control of hypertension at primary care system level will contribute to reducing deaths due to heart attacks, stroke and also kidney failures.
The project strategies are easily scalable within the health system. The strategies include a simple drug-dose-specific standard treatment protocol, ensuring adequate quantity of protocol medications, decentralisation of care with follow-up and refills of medicines at Health Wellness Centres, task sharing involving all health staff and a powerful real-time information system which can track every patient for follow-up and blood pressure control.
Under IHCI, nearly half of those who were treated had blood pressure under control, the government said.
“IHCI complements the national Programme for prevention and control of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. The initiative also accelerates the achievement of targets of the government by ensuring a continuum of care and giving a boost to the ongoing Ayushman Bharat programme,” the health ministry added.
CREDIT: Hindustan Times
