Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

State leads in diabetes care

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The primary health care system in the State is slowly being equipped to tackle the alarming increase in the incidence of non-communicable diseases in Kerala, thanks to the systematic implementation of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Diabetes, CVD and Stroke, launched early in the year.

Kerala emerged as the best performing State, when the Centre reviewed the implementation and progress of the NCD programme last month in the 10 States where the programme is being piloted.

In Kerala, the programme is being piloted in Thiruvananthapuram district, where much work has been done through the setting up of NCD clinics at the primary health centre-level and training of field staff to monitor and manage diabetes in the community. The national programme is soon to be scaled up for implementation across the State.

Under the programme, three types of interventions have been initiated — at the community-level, school-level and in work places.

The Indian Institute of Diabetes (IID), the nodal centre for implementing the national programme, has chosen the Nemom, Kanyakulangara and Vamanapuram blocks for the intervention.

For school-level intervention, 10 schools (eight government schools and two private schools) have been chosen in each block where health committees have been set up. ‘Rainbow Ribbon’ clubs too have been set up in these schools with the aim of encouraging behaviour changes in seven target areas, such as physical exercises, healthy eating habits and to generate awareness in and around the school.

The IID will begin its work place interventions for diabetes prevention and care at the Aakkulam factory of Hindustan Latex Ltd. and the SAP camp at Peroorkada.

What is remarkable is the field-level activities that have been initiated in the district under the national programme.

The primary health centres at Malayinkeezh, Vamanapuram and Kanyakulangara, where NCD cells have been set up, are now conducting diabetes awareness and detection camps regularly. Patients requiring physician’s care and more clinical tests will be referred to the taluk hospitals at Nedumangad, Neyyattinkara and Chirayinkeezh.

In both PHCs and taluk hospitals, laboratories have been equipped and strengthened for performing all clinical tests required for diabetes management using funds from the national programme.

The IID is being developed as the State’s tertiary care facility for managing diabetes and its complications. Specialists’ services – physicians, neurologists, nephrologists, cardiologists –is being made available here on a weekly basis, on arrangement with the faculty at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. The existing laboratory is being upgraded utilising State government funds to the tune of Rs. 32 lakh.

Empowering the health department’s work force to tackle the challenge of non-communicable diseases is a major component of the NCD programme.

The Chennai-based India Diabetes Research Foundation has been identified as the training partner of IID in implementing the NCD programme. At least 100 doctors and over 60 dieticians and health supervisors in the district as well as the entire health field staff in the three intervention blocks have undergone the IDRF training programme.

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