Gov seeks private medical colleges help in NPCDCS

Amid shortage of health professionals in rural areas, government has asked private medical colleges to help in its ambitious National Program for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (NPCDCS).
The Health Ministry has asked the private medical colleges to adopt one district each. Some colleges have already started adopting the districts in detecting cases of cancer and other CVDs, especially in rural areas.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said he has asked private medical colleges to jointly carry out the programme for detection of cancer and cardio-vascular diseases and some private medical colleges have sent their proposals.

The proposal was made by Azad at a recent meeting with managements of private medical colleges.
He said he would soon hold a similar meeting with government medical colleges in the country and ask them to adopt one district each.
"We have 350 medical colleges across the country and major areas of the country will be covered like this," Azad said here today.

He said once the disease is detected, the Health Ministry will work towards its management and control.
The programme aims at screening population across the country to detect cases of cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and stroke.
The Health Ministry had launched an ambitious programme to cover 100 districts in the country initially to detect cases of cancer, diabetes, cardio-vascular cases and stroke, but could not complete it in rural areas due to paucity of medical professionals.

While the detection of diabetes and high blood pressure in these districts has been completed and extended to more districts, the detection of cancer and cardio-vascular diseases could not be completed due to lack of infrastructure and medical equipment.
The same will not be substituted through the equipment and professionals from medical colleges.