AIIMS to reach out to rural population for treatment of non-communicable diseases
   Date :02-Sep-2022

non-communicable  
 
 
 
By Vikas Vaidya
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has decided to reach the unreached. It will be serving people in rural areas for treating non-communicable diseases (NCD). The Central Government-run institute’s team plans to cover rural areas in providing treatment for the diseases. To begin with, the institute will be covering the tribal population of Ramtek block. The institute will not only provide healthcare, but also create awareness among people about maintaining healthy lifestyle. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has funded the activity.
AIIMS is scaling newer heights everyday. As far as Outpatient Department (OPD) number is concerned, it has surpassed Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital (IGGMCH). Now, its Department of Community Medicine is working among the tribal population of Ramtek block to expand the range of NCD care and optimise the utilisation of services delivered at health and wellness centres under the guidance of Maj Gen (Dr)
Vibha Dutta, SM, Director and CEO of AIIMS. The block has 60 villages and AIIMS has already facilitated the functioning of the Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHNSC) of these villages. The AIIMS team has been re-orienting and supporting them by contributing to health-related events.
VHSNC members, in co-ordination with health staff, organised more than 40 mega screening camps for hypertension and diabetes. At these 40 camps, over 5,000 people above 30 years of age have been screened for hypertension and diabetes and more than 1,750 patients are being treated for diabetes and hypertension.
Dr Deepak Selokar, District Health Officer told ‘The Hitavada’, “This will surely strengthen the health services in rural areas. AIIMS people have coordinated with us. The team will come to our Primary Health Centres (PHC) or Rural Hospital and check the people. With increase in human resource, the healthcare service will improve. In such check-ups, identifying the patients will become easier and they can be referred to tertiary care to get faster treatment.”
This initiative of AIIMS has led to 900 patients shifting their treatment from private to Government hospitals. A long list of patients who are being treated for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, epilepsy, respiratory disorders, cancers have been prepared and shared with the health staff.
At the community level, various activities such as rallies, village-level meetings, small group meetings and patient support group activities are being carried out to raise awareness related to risk factors for non-communicable diseases. In line with the Ayushman Bharat agenda, to give a strong wellness focus, various campaigns were held. Recently, a mega ‘Poshan Melava’ was organised on PHC premises for giving real-time training and exposure to healthy lifestyle choices among VHSNC members.
More than 70 information and education materials and videos have been developed by the department and these resources are available in the public domain, including the State Health Mission, Maharashtra. Dr Dipak Selokar, Yogesh Kumbhejkar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zilla Parishad Nagpur supported the project to a large extent.