BMC to start door-to-door BP, diabetes screening of 30-plus people
Mumbai: As the mortality rate from non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, cardiovascular complications and stroke goes up, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will kickstart a project in 15 days to screen 30 plus people for blood pressure and diabetes for early detection and treatment
Mumbai: As the mortality rate from non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, cardiovascular complications and stroke goes up, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will kickstart a project in 15 days to screen 30 plus people for blood pressure and diabetes for early detection and treatment.

Dr Sanjeev Kumar, additional municipal commissioner said that at the national level, 68% of people aged between 18-69 years die of non-communicable diseases like heart attacks, kidney diseases, stroke and cardiovascular complications.
“These are the main killers which have come up in society and the biggest reason is hypertension or diabetes. Around 80% of people in Mumbai are unaware that they have diabetes or hypertension. Only a minority undergo annual blood investigations. So, for ten years, if you have this underlying problem of hypertension and diabetes, it damages your brain, eyes, heart, kidneys and other organs. To avoid this complication, we will screen the 30-plus age group,” he said.
Dr Kumar said, erratic lifestyle, excess salt intake in the diet, unhealthy nutrition and lack of exercise compound the complications.
As per the latest World Health Organization (WHO) preliminary survey reports, 34% population in Mumbai between 18-69 years are hypertensive and 20% are diabetic.
The BMC’s decision follows the WHO survey in the city involving 5,000 people. The result found that 34% of citizens with symptoms of hypertension consumed 9 grams of salt in their daily diet of the citizens. As per the UN agency, 5 grams of salt in the daily diet is sufficient.
Dr Mangala Gomare, executive health officer said that BMC was in the preparedness stage where they have trained and done capacity building of all the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers and community health volunteers (CHVs) as well paramedical staff and co-ordinators, who are giving BMC outreach activity of their services. They will go home to home to screen for BP of people above 30 years.
“The WHO survey was done in three steps, beginning with a questionnaire, physical examination and via consultant. Now, we are planning an outreach activity where ASHA workers and CHVs will screen all the 30 plus and above population,” she said.
Dr Gomare added that housing societies will be accessed if they allow entry to the health workers but priority for this screening will be given to slums and chawls first.
“Also, 60% of the population lives in slums and chawls in Mumbai. So, each link worker will be provided with a BP monitor and will screen 30 plus and above population and when they see that BP is 140/90 and above, they will refer the cases to the dispensary as a suspected hypertension cases. These workers are trained to check the BP twice and we have been taught to record correct BP,” said Dr Gomare.
There are 3,700 CHV posts where 600 posts are vacant and BMC is in the process of recruiting more than 600 Asha workers. BMC already has 500 Asha workers and 2,800 CHVs.
Each health post caters to a 70,000 population and it has been given to understand that each Asha worker and CHV will cater to 3,000 population on average.
“This is a community-based population screening and all the referred cases will then be examined by a medical officer and a complete blood profile will be conducted for free. At present, in our tertiary hospitals like KEM and Sion hospitals, blood profile is done for ₹50, but we have moved a proposal to do the blood investigations for free,” she said.
Dr Gomare explained that all the dispensary doctors and other staff are trained for SOPs for the management of hypertension and blood sugar and know the protocol to manage such cases.
“Even dieticians will be available at dispensaries once a week to give dietary advice. Medicines too will be available for hypertension and diabetes. In case of higher consultation, the cases will be referred to tertiary hospitals or medical colleges,” said Dr Gomare.
BMC has also started 13 polyclinics recently and if required, the cases will be referred to them as well.
ASHA workers will get a performance-based incentive and if they earn ₹7,000 a month, this salary will be doubled by the BMC. CHVs will also get incentives and their monthly salary has been increased from ₹9,000 to ₹11,000.
The civic-run tertiary hospitals are also starting patching surveillance which will have diabetes-hypertension corners or centres near registration areas and OPDs.
“It is an opportunistic screening where all those who visit civic hospitals, maybe a patient or the one who accompanies them can come and check their BP and blood sugar,” said Dr Gomare.
Sion and KEM along with other hospitals have started these corners. The BMC is in the process of buying BP monitors and stationery for ASHA workers and CHVs.
“The preparations are done and now ASHA workers and CHVs are ready to go to houses within 15 days,” added Dr Gomare.
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